One spin of this disc and the irony of the album title will loom large; ‘Here Comes The Sun’ is not a record full of funeral doom, black metal or brutal death but the content is certainly dark, bleak and paints vistas in the mind of the listener upon which it would be difficult for the sun to penetrate and cast it’s warm glow.
The Poitier-based quintet have been steadily building a following over the course of their 20 year career, with previous albums garnering a fair amount of praise and critical acclaim in the process. However, with ‘Here Comes The Sun’, their sixth album, French progressive rock/metal band Klone have arguably created their finest moment to date, an intense and melancholy affair that isn’t afraid to bare its teeth when the need arises.
This phenomenal and hugely talented young band release their stunning debut EP‘Play’ on the 20th April.
Tracklisting: 31, Shy, Lingo, You Say Nothing, Circus Boy
‘FlashFires follow up their twice-released debut ‘Circus Boy’ with a bona fide second single, ‘Shy’. It’s a bold and choppy burst of groove-driven post-punk / indie that evokes bands that follow the trajectory from Orange Juice through Franz Ferdinand and suggests FlashFires themselves are anything but. Nifty and hooky as hell, ‘Shy’ has ‘breakthrough’ written all over it’
Whisperinandhollerin
“Their music is fast paced, with a funky twist and a surge of energy. They have a great stage presence and they know how to captivate their audiences with jangly guitars, unique vocals, catchy beats and a most definitely fun experience…”
The Edge
“If there’s anything that can save the whole indie/alternative scene it’s FlashFires ….brilliant in its combination of two indie/alternative stereotypes, creating something exciting in the process”
Freshbeats365
Friends from school, FlashFires have a unique bond that shines through in their song writing and their live shows. They are writing fabulous tunes that belie their youth and sitting somewhere on the indie/rock spectrum, their own self-proclaimed brand of Fire Indie Disco is out there for all to have a good time! Unrestricted by genre, the band are all music fans with eclectic tastes and are not frightened to take risks and test out different styles and sounds in their compositions.
Already with big US & UK management behind them, FlashFires can also count Led Zep’s Jimmy Page amongst their rapidly growing legion of fans after he popped along to see one of their London shows.
20th March, Lennons, Southampton with Pink Cigar
5th April, Easter Festival, Bar 42 Worthing
24th April, Water Rats, London
23rd May, Railway, Winchester with Pink Cigar
more shows tbc.
If you haven’t had the chance to check them out yet, they really are a must-see. Having already supported the likes of The Subways, The Rifles, Catfish & The Bottlemen & The Carnabys amongst others, along with their youth, energy and abundance of talent, this bunch of 19 year old Basingstoke boys are going to be making a huge impact on the music scene in the coming months!
While many may not recognize the name Roger Hodgson, everyone recognizes his signature voice – one of the most distinctive voices in rock history. And the classic hit songs that he wrote and sang, often referred to as “Supertramp” songs, are actually Roger Hodgson songs.
“All these years I thought I was a Supertramp fan when actually I was and am a Roger Hodgson fan. What a show! ‘WOW’ is all I can say.” ~ David Wild, Rolling Stone
“There are few vocalists instantly recognizable from the first few bars of a song but Roger Hodgson is certainly one of that unique group. The singer/songwriter of Supertramp, his voice is as unmistakable as the distinct keyboard sound of his early hits.” ~ The Times (London)
“This is the real deal: a legendary music man, in brilliant form and shimmering presence, supported by a tight, terrific band. An evening with Roger Hodgson will raise your standards of concert-going.” ~ Huffington Post
Audience Responses
“The performance was an intimate “stadium” concert….. such a remarkable voice, singing hit after hit…. now I know why they call you Mr. Supertramp. You didn’t just fill the theater, you filled our spirit.”
“Absolutely amazing show! Roger’s music is timeless. We brought our kids and 16-year-old granddaughter who have been listening to Roger’s music all their lives. They were singing and cheering right along with us. Great memories were made last night.”
“WOW! After over 30 years of waiting, we saw your show last night – All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you… how wonderful it felt to be 16 again! The band was tight, and your musicians were spot on, nailing the harmonies and filling the room and my soul with the sounds of my favorite music, Supertramp!! Roger, your voice is as sweet and strong as the day in 1976 when I put on headphones and heard School for the 1st time.”
Hodgson’s latest release, ‘Classics Live,’ is a spectacular collection of his hit songs from concerts recorded around the world and is available through his Storeand iTunes.
Enjoy this video montageof Hodgson performing some of his timeless classics.
For additional information on Roger Hodgson, visit:
It was so sad this afternoon to hear of the passing of Daevid Allen from cancer. He was the mainstay of the group Gong for over 40 years and before that a founder member of Soft Machine. He created his own world called Planet Gong on which lived Zero The Hero and the Pot Head Pixies. The 3 albums from the seventies combined to become the Planet Gong Trilogy and are well worth checking out. They are Floating Teapot, Angels Egg and You.
All are excellent but You is a wonderful album. So Daevid heads to that great teapot in the sky but leaves behind a wonderful legacy of music that pushed every boundary he could find.
Gong released a new album last year in which Daevid basically said goodbye to his fans in the song Thank You.
The track below is taken from that album
I am, you are, we are……crazy Farewell and thank you for the music
News has reached Progarchy that Daevid Allen has left us. Sad, yes, but as founder of both Soft Machine and the inimitable Gong he brought a lot of joy in his long life. Oh, you pothead pixie! Play on….
“What are we gonna do man?”
“Eat that phone book”
Now if you want to know just how to tune into the vibes of the planet
Nobody else can tell ya everybody got their own way to do it
Oom papa zoom de zoom
a hubba hubba gubba oom sticky stucka
Oom papa zoom de zoom
a cuppa hubba dubba oom sticky stucka
Bum chicky bum chi bum
a trippa cup a trippa om boppa maia
Bum chicky bum chi bum
a trippa cup a trippa om boppa maia
Oom papa zoom de zoom
a cuppa hubba dubba oom sticky stucka
Bum chicky bum chi bum
a trippa cup a trippa om mama maia
All that you got to do is get yourself together
Don’t dither, do it
Then when you’re gong you can’t go wrong
‘Cause you’ve become the songs and the planet
Yesterday I climbed a tree
Nearer to the Gong to be
The planet was I realized,
One of the spots before my eyes
Mama maia I pray for banana
Na na na na banana bad yada da
Bo bo bo yo I pray for banana
Banana na na banana bad yada da
O mama maia he he oh oh banana
Banana na na na banana bad yada da
Ya na ne na na…
At the end of the day
When there’s nothing left to play
And you’re all alone ‘cept for radio gnome
Here’s your angel’s egg for breakfast in the morning
So I listened to the new Tangent album last night……………
The new album (Insidious Music).
That’s it. Game over!!!!!! No need to listen to anything else for the rest of the year. There have been some good releases already in these early months. Glass Hammer, Steven Wilson etc but this stands out a mile and will be album of the year. That’s all folks!!! Grab your hats and coats and head for the door.
Mr Birzer has already posted his review and a good one it is too. No need to elaborate on that. As a musician, you just have to put your hands up and say……. Total Genius !!!!
Alan Cox was the promoter of the Neal Morse Band concert in Aurora, Colorado, on February 28, 2015. It was a truly glorious evening. Here are Cox’s amazing photos from that night–posted with his kind permission.
The hugely talented Pete Jones, the man behind Tiger Moth Tales, and its superb debut album ‘Cocoon’, has just started publishing a series of short interviews on YouTube, which will no doubt be of interest to all Mothingtons (as he has whimsically named his fans.)
You can find the first video here, in which Pete talks about his earliest musical memories. What a bloody nice chap!
Chris Cornell cemented his reputation long ago as one of the greatest rock vocalists ever, first with Soundgarden in the 1980s and ’90s (and currently), and then with Audioslave in the early 2000s. But Cornell, who is now 50 years old, has a rather intriguing history of crossing genres, beginning with “Temple of the Dog” (1991), which was certainly rock, yet with hints of gospel and folk. His surprising 1997 version of “Ave Maria” (on “A Very Special Christmas 3”) indicated an interest in music far outside the usual grunge/metal arena. And with his 1998 song “Sunshower” (on the “Great Expectations” soundtrack), which became a hit without ever being released as a single, and “Euphoria Morning” (1999), his first solo album, Cornell further demonstrated his ability to sing (and write) within numerous genres. His 2009 album, “Scream,” caused plenty of screams—from fans who welcomed the electro-R&B-Timbaland-produced songs and from those who hated it and saw it as a sign of the apocalypse.
In recent years, Cornell has written and performed a hit song for a blockbuster movie (“You Know My Name”, the theme song for the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale), sang lead on the funky, Euro-fusion tune “Lies” with Gabin, and crooned a mellow, old-school duet (“All I Have To Do Is Dream”) with Rita Wilson on Mrs. Tom Hanks’s 2012 solo album, “AM/FM.” And in his various solo acoustic tours [see my October 2013 review of one such show], Cornell has always played some left field tunes, such as Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean,” which he first played unplugged many years ago as a slow-burning blues song (and inspiring a similar take from “American Idol” winner David Cook in 2008).
There are more examples, but that’s enough of an intro to Cornell’s latest collaboration, which was released last week: the single, “Heavy Is the Head,” with the Zac Brown Band, which appears on ZBB’s forthcoming album, “Jekyll + Hyde”. I’ve enjoyed the ZBB’s past albums, which are a mixture of Souther-country-rock, traditional country, and some Jimmy Buffet-type tunes, and I expected I would enjoy the tune. In fact, I think it is a great cut; it is far heavier than expected and is a near perfect marriage of Southern/country rock and grunge, hence my use of the word “Southerngarden”. The song is built on a distorted, grungy bass line, which leads into some distorted guitar and Cornell’s somewhat menacing vocals; it builds over some fine riffs and, at the 3-minute mark, a nifty Soundgarden-ish breakdown and some trademark wailing. Here is a recent performance for SNL, marred only by a bad mix (the vocals are pushed too the back):
The Tangent, A SPARK IN THE AETHER (Insideout Music, 2015).
Tracks: A Spark in the Aether; Codpieces and Capes; Clearing the Attic; Aftereugene; The Celluloid Road; A Spark in the Aether (Part 2)
The Tangent: Andy Tillison; Luke Machen; Theo Travis; Jonas Reingold; and Morgan Agren.
Birzer rating: 10/10
The new album (Insideout Music).
“If Neal can find God. . . what’s in it for me?”
I’ve never hidden my admiration for all things Andy Tillison. I almost feel like I should always be writing AllthingsAndyTillison™ whenever I mention any aspect of him. For, as we all know, this redheaded and motorbiking mischievous Andy does nothing halfway. Like almost every person in the prog world—artist or fan—he’s a perfectionist. Andy’s not just a perfectionist, though. He’s a perfectionist-plus.
It would be nearly impossible to re-do or even try to top The Tangent’s 2013 masterpiece, Le Sacre du Travail, itself a celebration of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring from exactly a century before. The Tangent reached a fascinating peak (at least, thus far) with that one. It sold well, and well it should have. Le Sacre is a thing of true beauty and grace, a tangible piece of eternity, here and now. On it, Tillison combined—almost impossibly—the mundane with the sacred, and he did so in a way that philosophized without preaching. Not an easy task or accomplishment for anyone.
“Careful with that sax!”
Tillison is a restless man, and we all benefit from his need to make, to produce, to continue, to create, and to communicate.
Nothing stands out as much on this new album, A Spark in the Aether, as the almost-signature energetic restlessness of Tillison. This is not to suggest that we don’t also revel in his many satisfactions. Spark, however, ultimately reveals Tillison’s deepest longings, and his greatest (and quite lovely) imaginings and his desire for justice. Tillison is not just the definition of restlessness and perfectionism, he is also the spirit of charity itself. Whereas the last album considered the routine and liturgy of work, this album explores what might and what could be. It’s every bit as subtle as the previous work, but the subtleties are found in the musical passages, especially the ones that linger, rather than in the structure of the album as with 2013’s Le Sacre.
“Struggling with a Hammond until my fingers bleed. . . to an empty room.”
Tillison has rather famously proclaimed progressive rock as the sum of all music. You want jazz? So be it. 1950’s rock? Great. 1960’s bubble gum pop? Not a problem. Combine them in any way you see fit, and you have one of the many glories of prog, the ability to fuse and meld, the combination of infinite diversity within infinite possibilities. On Spark, one hears funk, funkadelic, rock, prog, jazz, and folk. There’s a bit more Pink Floydish influence than is normal for The Tangent, but, of course, it’s all done so very tastefully.
As mentioned above in the header, six pieces make up Spark. The first, “A Spark in the Aether.” Swirling keyboards and sax open the album. This is a rambunctious piece, a prime example of “prog n’roll,” as Tillison likes to call it. The title and the music fit together perfectly. Truly, there is a small fire that sets off something much larger than itself.
The second piece, “Codpieces and Capes,” could lyrically be the sequel to “Supper’s Off,” the fifth track of the 2013 bonus cd, L’Etagere du Travail. Tillison’s lyrics are at their wittiest, a series of comments about pretentions among the first generation and wave of prog stars. Tillison rightfully mocks the self-indulgence of the era.
“Clearing the Attic,” the third track, is the most fantastic of all the songs, a carefully structure dream wondering (and wandering) what would happen if every thing went perfectly well for those Tillison admires and loves most. Interestingly enough, parts of the track somewhat resemble “Feelin’ Groovy” by Simon and Garfunkel as well as Santana’s version of “Oye Como Va.” This, however, is 2015, not 1966 or 1970, for better or worse. In Tillison’s reality, Guy is famous, Cliff spins tracks for the BBC, and Sally gets to ride horseback across the vast and almost limitless plains of North America.
The fourth piece, “Aftereugene,” I misunderstood at first. I thought this might be Andy’s filler, as it were, a way to connect the first half of the album with the second. Upon several listens, though, I’ve come to realize just how complex this piece is. The best moment is Tillison whispering, “Careful with that sax.” The quality of his voice at this moment–the drama of it–is just brilliant, as is the atonal solo that Travis immediately provides. This is a sleeper song, and it will, I predict, one day be regarded as a Tangent masterpiece. It has everything a prog fan craves—weirdness, beauty, and a connection to our rather glorious prog heritage.
Perhaps the centerpiece of the entire album is “The Celluloid Road,” a full journey through and across America. Not the real America, but the America as understood by a non-American receiving his information from Hollywood. Every one from Clint Eastwood to Jesus makes an appearance in this song, and it really is the perfect road music for traversing the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains en route to the West Coast and the Pacific. The story ends in San Francisco, with talking apes and giant lizards destroying everything. As Tillison notes, he gets to observe it all from the haze of Yorkshire.
The last song brings us back to the first, and it becomes obvious that though Tillison has not created another concept album, he has certainly created a song cycle. And, the song cycle takes us back not just to the first song of this album, but to the very first Tangent album ever, The Music That Died Alone (2003).
As a crass American, I often wonder if the English realize how lucky they are to have Andy. I know the Germans understand his brilliance, as do the Scandinavians. The English-speaking peoples of the world have an incredible treasure in Andy Tillison. Add his significant other, Sally, and they’re basically unstoppable.
Andy, thank you for sharing your wisdom with us. It’s such an honor to be a part of AllthingsAndyTillison™.
News has reached Progarchy that Daevid Allen has left us. Sad, yes, but as founder of both Soft Machine and the inimitable Gong he brought a lot of joy in his long life. Oh, you pothead pixie! Play on….
Progarchy 