Tag: Riverside

Still Abiding:  Progarchy Talks Again with The Duda (Mariusz, that is)

On By Erik HeterIn progressive rock3 Comments

It would be an understatement to say that this has been an eventful year for Mariusz Duda and Riverside.  As the year began, they were riding high on the success of “Love,

press_photos_06Fear, and The Time Machine,” and it seemed things couldn’t be going better.  But life doesn’t always cooperate, and February saw the tragic gut-punch of losing Piotr Grudzinski, which left Riverside’s future indeterminate for a time.

Duda himself, as I found out in the interview, lost his father some time after that.

It’s a lot to take, but some how Duda and Riverside soldier onward, as their recent announcement to continue as a three-piece attests.  I was fortunate enough to be connected to Duda for another conversation (my first one can be found here), as we discussed what he and the band have been through and where they are going from here.

Progarchy: Well, it has been an eventful year for you guys … how are you holding up?

Mariusz Duda: Thank you so much, every day better and better.  You know, time flies, and time also heals our wounds a bit.  This year for me, personally, has not been good because I lost my father in May.  So if you just imagine three months after Piotr’s death, I had a death in my family. Piotr was also my family.  Anyway, this year was not so happy, and I just needed time to recover.  But now I feel better and I have the strength to talk about Riverside and some other stuff, both in the past in the future.

Continue reading “Still Abiding:  Progarchy Talks Again with The Duda (Mariusz, that is)” →

Best Prog of 2016, Part III

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock3 Comments

Ok, so I’m taking a bit to get through my best of 2016.  It was a GOOD year.  Certainly not when it came to violence or politics, but music.  It soothes my upset soul.  Thank you, fellow proggers.

stranger-things-cdOne quick note before I dive into part III.

I must mention an album (two parter) that brought immense joy to me this year: the soundtrack of STRANGER THINGS.  I’ve had the opportunity to sing the praises of this glorious 8-part nostalgia trip of a Netflix series elsewhere, and I’m terrible at trying to describe and review electronic music.  Regardless, this soundtrack captures the mystery of the series just perfectly.  I’ve seen the series three times, and I’ve listened to the two-CD soundtrack a million more.  Few things will define 2016 as much as this series did.

Ok, back to regular programming. . .

Continue reading “Best Prog of 2016, Part III” →

Riverside’s Soundscape

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment
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No note (or silence) is without purpose.

Riverside, EYE OF THE SOUNDSCAPE (Insideout Music, 2016).  Tracks: Where the River Flows (new), Shine (new), Rapid Eye Movement, Night Sessions 1, Night Sessions 2, Sleepwalkers (new), Rainbow Trip, Heavenland, Return, Aether, Machines, Promise, Eye of the Landscape (new).

It’s truly hard to know what to label Riverside’s latest release, EYE OF THE SOUNDSCAPE.  I can, however, state the following with absolute certainty: it is a truly glorious thing.  A thing of intense beauty.  A thing I very proudly own.  Two disks, 103 minutes of music, and great packaging.  What more could one want from any album, let alone from a band as exceptional as Riverside?

Yet, EYE OF THE SOUNDSCAPE is not really a proper album, or at least an album with all new tracks.  Of the thirteen tracks on this album, only four are new.  The other nine come from previous Riverside releases, generally from the special editions.  What holds them together is the ambient and electronic quality of each song.

But, wait. . . isn’t that what Lunatic Soul is for?  Duda’s more experimental side?

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New Riverside Album?

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment

Riverside post this mysterious image without caption about 2 hours ago on Facebook.

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Getting Physical with Insideout: Riverside and Karmakanic

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock4 Comments
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2016 special edition

Two unexpected beauties arrived in the mail today–the latest releases from Riverside and Karmakanic.  Well, I write unexpected because 1) I had completely forgotten that I’d pre-ordered the Riverside; and 2) I wasn’t expecting it to show up with Karmakanic, which I’d also forgotten was a two-disk affair.  Truly serendipity.

The Riverside release is really a re-release of last year’s LOVE FEAR AND THE TIME MACHINE.  This special edition includes a second disk, a DVD, with the album presented in hi-res stereo as well as 5.1 surround (mixed by Bruce Soord).  It also includes a hi-res version of five tracks from the recording sessions, and the videos made to accompany the album.  From what I can tell, the booklet that comes with it contains no new information from last year’s release except for an update on who mixed the DVD.

Not surprisingly in the least, everything here is outstanding–from the packaging to the re-released music.  If you haven’t yet, make sure you check out Erik Heter’s review as well as his interview with the band last year.

I’m especially taken with the five additional tracks labeled as “day sessions.”  These add up to nearly 28 minutes of extra music.  If you remember how The Pineapple Thief often released bonus material of their jam sessions a decade or so ago, you know exactly what to expect from these “day sessions.”  Frankly, they’re stunning, sounding as much like Lunatic Soul as Riverside.  The atmosphere created and presented by these tracks is really exceptional.  It’s worth ordering this new package just for these five songs alone.  I’m sure I will be spending many hours listening to these songs.

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DOT.

When I pre-ordered the new Karmakanic (already reviewed–several days ago), I didn’t remember having ordered the special edition.  While the artwork–provided by Rush’s Hugh Syme–is simply stunning, I can’t say the same about the packaging.  Mostly plastic, my new case came pre-crushed!  The booklet is in good shape, but the innards that hold the two disks are just lots and lots of flaky pieces.  Ugh.  Thankfully, the disks are ok, but the packaging is weak and poor.  Too bad, as this release deserves the highest treatment possible.  The extra disk is also a DVD.  It has five songs recorded at RosFest 2012, a “making of” documentary, and several interviews.

Both albums come from Insideout.

Riverside Teaser

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rockLeave a comment

Riverside just posted this on its Facebook page, about 4 hours ago.  Much to look forward to.

iamthemorning’s Lighthouse: Neoclassical Beauty

On By Thaddeus WertIn progressive rock9 Comments

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Imagine, if you will, a world where Aerial-era Kate Bush, Dumbarton Oaks-era Igor Stravinsky, and Sketches of Spain-era Miles Davis got together to compose a song cycle. They might come up with something to rival iamthemorning’s new album, Lighthouse, but it’s doubtful.

A work of astonishing beauty, Lighthouse is also deeply moving. The songs chronicle a young woman’s struggle to overcome mental illness, and her ultimate surrender to it. Heavy stuff, but fortunately the gorgeous musical arrangements make Lighthouse a work worth returning to again and again. iamthemorning takes the listener on this journey through the use of neoclassical music, prog, and classic jazz. Most of the songs feature a full chamber orchestra, while others are buttressed by the talents of Gavin Harrison and Colin Edwin – Porcupine Tree’s rhythm section. Mariusz Duda, of Riverside and Lunatic Soul fame, lends his distinctive vocals to the album’s centerpiece, “Lighthouse”.

Of course, the true stars of Lighthouse are the members of iamthemorning, vocalist Marjana Semkina, and pianist Gleb Kolyadin. Semkina’s vocals are heartbreakingly beautiful, moving from peak to peak as the songs unfold. Kolyadin’s piano work is perfectly simpatico with Semkina’s singing, providing graceful accompaniment. On “Harmony”, he takes center stage, leading a sextet through a swinging instrumental.

The mood of the album flows from the somber overture of “I Came Before the Water, Pt. 1” through the melodic “Clear Clearer”, to the relatively upbeat “Harmony” and “Matches”, before descending again with “Belighted”. “Chalk and Coal”, in the words of Semkina, “represents the final twist of the album story-line, the final breakdown”. The first half of “Chalk and Coal” features the most straight-ahead rock of the album before the band seamlessly shifts into chamber jazz for the second half. “I Came Before the Water” returns, with Semkina, unaccompanied, singing of accepting defeat while a gradually swelling string chorus provides solace. The tender and brief “Post Scriptum” is a final elegy, and Lighthouse is over.

Even though the album is almost entirely acoustic, it packs an enormous punch. It is a work that is best experienced by listening to it in its entirety. Everything, from the cover art to the extraordinarily high level of musicianship, combine to create a tasteful and sophisticated work. This is music that transcends categorization; it is music that is timeless and evocative. iamthemorning have come up with an album that is destined to be a classic of modern music, regardless of the genre.

 

So Much Left Unsaid – Piotr Grudziński, 1975-2016

On By Erik HeterIn progressive rock11 Comments

Losing your musical heroes is never easy.   In the past year, we’ve lost a number of them. Piotr GrudzinskiAt least two of them, Chris Squire of Yes and Glenn Frey of the Eagles, were the subject of Progarchy posts upon their passing. Today we mourn the passing of possibly the best guitarist of the current prog scene, Riverside’s Piotr Grudziński.

The passing of Squire and later of Frey were one thing. Both of them were 67 when they died, and while they were taken from us too soon, losing them was easier to process emotionally. Both had decades long, successful careers. Both of them had peaked and were able to let their full abilities play out. On the other hand, Grudziński was a mere 40 years old and had many creative and productive years still to come. Losing him now, coming off Riverside’s most recent (and stunningly good) album, is the equivalent of what would have been had Squire or Frey been lost in 1975. I’m just shaking my head in disbelief that this has happened …

So much potential has been lost. Don’t take this the wrong way – it’s not that he hadn’t lived up to it. No, he was living up to his potential, spectacularly so. He was in his prime, continually evolving as a guitarist, and we are now denied seeing where that evolution would have taken him.

Continue reading “So Much Left Unsaid – Piotr Grudziński, 1975-2016” →

With Best Wishes to Riverside and Piotr

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock1 Comment

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Piotr Grudzinski, RIP

On By bradbirzerIn progressive rock3 Comments

Piotr GrudzińskiIt is with immense sorrow that we report that Riverside’s Piotr Grudzinski has passed away.  This appeared this morning at Riverside’s Facebook page:

With great pain and disbelief, we inform you that our dear friend and brother Peter Grudziński left us this morning. We ask that you respect the privacy of the family and loved ones.

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In our deepest pain and disbelief we would like to inform you that our dearest friend and brother Piotr Grudzinski has passed away this morning. We kindly ask you to respect the privacy of his family and friends.

May we all keep Piotr and his family in our prayers and best thoughts.  This is a terrible loss.