TURBULENCE: Turbulence CD
Without knowing the reason for the band's existence, it's all written and conceived by Mr Brasse of Brasse fame, but this is a core quartet with guests appearances and, musically, it's a much more satisfying album. There's a richness, a depth of sound, and above al some real thought that's gone into the arranging of the tracks and the album as a whole. Heck, there's even a twenty minute track towards the end that is guaranteed to keep the prog-rock fans who are into lengthy tracks, well happy. Vocally it's not as forced as many on the label, with a performance that, while still a tad "dry" sounding, at least fits with the expansive playing and sumptuous prog-rock arrangements. OK - so it's never going to set the world on fire, but it is good stuff, mostly in the more symphonic vein of prog, with passages ranging from powerful to relaxed, and equally passionate playing from the wealth of keys and synths and the guitars. The epic track is a gem, it has to be said, and overall, it's an album that's worthwhile.
V/A: Pink Floyd (Chill Out To The Music Of) DVD£14.99
A visual feast of a DVD as four of the leading Pink Floyd tribute acts provide the soundtrack to a set of computer graphic images courtesy of animator David Rogers. Musically, you'll hear Mostly Autumn, Crazy Diamond, Cirrus Minor & Barratt perform mind-blowing interpretations of 'Echoes', 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', 'Fat Old Sun', 'Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun', 'Atom Heart Mother', 'Breathe' and ''Julia Dream'. Wheterh or not you like watching computer graphics - and I have to say that they do hold the attention in most cases - the performances of the legendary Pink Floyd tracks, are excellent and this is recommended purely on that level alone.
V/A: The Reading Room CD
A quite unusual but successful concept album where the lyrical and subject theme of the album is played in its entirety by 10 of the leading Euro-mainland prog-bands that are notably Brasse, Galleon, The Night Watch, Aragon, Like Wendy, Final Conflict, Maryson, Galahad, Jacob's Ladder & Cliffhanger. The fact that the bands take the whole concept on board to such an extent that they've produced an album that seriously flows and rocks, showcasing each band's undoubted talent within confines of some smoking prog-rock tracks, ranging from four to over ten minutes long and positively flying through a steaming set of well-produced proportions. As real Euro-mainland prog goes, with all the vocals in English, this sits musically, lyrically and vocally alongside the best albums that each band has done to date - so this serves not only as a great introduction the the bands' potent brew of prog, especially as all tracks are exclusive to this box set. Through the album there are plenty of wailing moog and synth solos allied to some awesome guitar leads and duels, while occasionally things tone down a bit to keys and strummed guitars. A special mention to the rhythm sections who held it all together and drove it forward - thunderous to smooth, they do it all with seeming ease. Overall, it's a rock solid prog album that you'll enjoy if you want mostly extended songs delivered in a predominantly electrifying prog-rock vein.
VERTIGO: Viper Thoughts CD
10 tracks averaging five minutes each and right from the start, this one takes you by the head, heart, throat and any other body part you care to mention with a sea of driving melodies and roaring riffs from an arsenal of synths, string synths, electric guitars, keys, bass and drums, while the vocals, although a tad gravely as tho the guy's been overdoing the JD, seem perfectly in keeping with the powerful songs that pervade the album, even better when multi-tracked. It's not prog-metal but it's not far off and it might even be more accurate to say that it's a mix of prog and AOR, more Asia than anything, only more anthemic - you only have to hear the soaring glories of a track such as 'Raining In My Heart' complete with searing electric guitar solo mid-way, to hear that this is a band to be noticed. Mostly quite powerful, superbly arranged, played and produced, probably more AOR than prog although it's a close call, this is a teriffic album that comes recommended.
VOW: Another World CD
IN many ways this reminds me of the last few years electric work of Steve Hackett in terms of its arrangements, playing and above average vocals - although that might not be fair - the vocal bit - as I would imagine that many of you like the more "sung" sort of mid-range type of vocal that inhabits many a "neo-prog" album with leads and harmonies that have a flair for the dramatic without actually being the sort of vocal that you'd readily describe as "classic". The harmonies are actually seriously fine throughout, while the playing from predominantly synths and electric guitars, is cohesive and suitably proggy without ever doing anything that deviates from the obvious. It's the sort of prog version of ELO going down a Wetton path with Hackett in tow, although nothing quite as gob-smacking as that description might imply. It's consistent, enjoyable and well done for the sort of area it inhabits which, as you might have guessed from my awkwardness of reviewing this thing, isn't mine.
WITHOUT ENDING: Without Ending CD
Debut album from Australian prog-rock band with a decidedly metal/AOR feel running through its charged veins. Without evoking any direct comparisons, there is a familiarity that pervades this album yet an originality that makes it sound so alive and new. Inhabiting a world of prog and rock, it satisfies right from the start as you hear a vocalist who can actually deliver the songs without resorting to hollering and dramatics, his rich, strong contralto (I think) voice shining through the proceedings. Every song has a sense of immensity to it, songs that sound and are absolutely hugely arranged, with a seemingly endless sea of synths, guitars, bass and drums backing it all up, while the vocals, both solo and multi-tracked, are just superb, and the songs themselves are simply awesome. It's the sort of album you get into right away yet one which becomes long-lasting and pleasurable. More in keeping with the RPWL's and alike, in tenuous fashion admittedly, it's less high-flying and more down-to-earth. Even the odd slower song sounds powerful, while the production is perfection. But, as the album goes, this is quality prog-AOR with a slight synths/keys bias, and for that we should all feel truly humbled in its presence.
YES: The Yes Story DBLCD
Nearly two and a half hours of tracks of which the glue that binds them all together is Yes, for here we have several Yes tracks, but also tracks by Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe, Chris Squire & Billy Sherwood, Jon Anderson, Steve Howe & Jon Anderson, Jemma Wakeman, Esquire, Steve Howe & Annie Haslam. You have to say that, while on the surface it may appear a bit of an eccentric thing to do, in reality it works a treat with some simply stunning tracks from all concerned. CD 1 starts with seventeen minutes of 'Awaken' from Yes and it's a stunning live rendition of the piece with all the members getting in on the action as some exquisite yesteryear prog unfolds to perfection. The comes a near thirty-two minute performance of 'Journey To The Centre Of The Earth' from Rick Wakeman and I surely don't need to tell you the stature that this piece still holds to this day. Howe delivers an instrumental version of Yes' 'To Be Over' that's truly exquisite, whikle things get altogether heavier for the absolutely anthemic 'Violet Purple Rose' from Squire & Sherwood, the ghost of 'Talk'-era Yes well in evidence. Another Yes track, 'Open Your Eyes' is a potent powerhouse over five minutes and the CD ends with the current dance mix that's about to break Yes to a whole new audience in the form of 'Owner Of A Lonely Heart' with Jon Annderson's re-recorded lead vocal and just one sensational idea executed to perfection.
CD 2 opens with a corking near thirteen minutes of live Yes in the form of 'Yours Is No Disgrace'and it's quite simply awesome. Then comes Howe & Anderson's twelve minutes of delicacy that is 'Lady Of The Lowlands' followed by the equally evocative wistfulness that is the smooth dance-pop of Jemma Wakeman, a lovely soaring voice that makes you want to hear more. Wakeman weighs in with a near eight minutes of 'Merlin The Magician' while Yes fans are treated to a live version of 'Roundabout'..Up next is a slice of Yes-inspired AOR courtesy of Esquire. Howe & Haslam deliver a four minute touch of grace that is 'It's All Over Now Baby Blue', all rich vocals and delicate to symphonic backings. Squire & Sherwood give us another corking slice of pro-AOR while Anderson takes things down a notch with 'Dancing Fool' (not the Zappa song!!) and the album closes with an infectious reading of 'Your Move' by Yes endingg the whole thing on a truly anthemic track.
PSYCHEDELIC/SPACE-ROCK/STONER:
MOTORHEAD: Inside Motorhead DVD
A critical review of the band's album career together with archive footage of the band from live and television appearances, including an interview with Bronze Records founder Gerry Bron. Running time is 71 minutes.
SPACE RITUAL: Live At The Venusian Electric Ballroom In The Cygnus 5 Galaxy CD
First off, I'm not into all this band politics that's going on between the "Brock" camp and the "Turner" camp - I'm not here to take sides - I'm here for the music - if I think it's good, I'll say so - if it's not, I'll say so - but, whichever camp you're mentioning, there's one word that you just cannot escape, no matter who likes it or not - and that word is 'Hawkwind'.
This CD is a live CD. It's a CD of, bar ten minutes, Hawkwind covers performed by largely ex-Hawkwind musicians. It is essentially Nik Turner's band - although musically, it's very much a collective along the 7lines that early seventies Hawkwind was a collective. Now, Turner's album output since the mid-nineties has been littered with albums where the band at the time play Hawkwind covers. The two on Cleopatra and the 'Transglobal' double CD are essential purchases - the live CD's on Ozit, far from essential.. So, with another one in front of you here, the question has to be asked - "how many of these things do you really need?" Well, I have to say that, in this case, I'd recommend it wholeheartedly - I really seriously enjoyed this album.
The sound quality is excellent but you still get the whole "sonic soup" sound that makes the entire feel of the thing take you right back to the seventies. It really is just like being there as the space-rock thunder echoes round your room turning it into a mini-concert hall.. With a core line-up of ex-Hawkwind musicians Mick Slattery, Nik Turner, Dave Anderson, Thomas Crimble, Terry Ollis, plus Sam Ollis & John Greves (along with guest Del Dettmar), the overriding thing you notice about this CD is the sheer energy with which the compositions are delivered, the trademark huge, swirling space-rock sound coming out of the speakers like a hurricane, with Anderson's bass threatening to have yer floorboards groaning under the weight, while this massive space-rock explosion of lead guitar, synths, space synths, sax and keys are driven along by some truly pummeling drum work from the two drummers. Opening with a scene-setting ten minutes of 'Cosmic Chant', a superb opener, the band then launch into a nuclear rendition of 'Watching The Grass Grow' which, at just over seven minutes, features so much in it, including some steaming solos from the electric guitar and sax, that you feel it must surely have lasted a lot longer, and the way the band just power through it, is positively breathtaking. But then, they take off with a vengeance as the spaceship lets the boosters go and fly into a searing performance of 'Born To Go', the whole sonic attack in the form of a live barrage of space-rock sound that doesn't just sound fantastic, it's like being there in the middle of it all as this immense wall of thunder takes you over. The pace decelerates for a rather fine eight minute performance of 'D-Rider', here Turner's flute solo all but buried under the wall of sound and one illustration that you're dealing with a live recording that reflects the power of the band rather than any subtleties that may exist. From here on, 'Brainstorm', 'Ejection', 'Sonic Attack', a truly steaming near nine minute performance of, ironically, 'Master Of The Universe' all follow with the power needles in the red and the band soaring through the cosmos with the engines glowing. Things end with a near seven minute version of 'Silver Machine' to which you have to smile as Turner plays it straight but puts his own mark on the legendary track, the band delivering this barrage of sound that thunders around your head as the synths swoop all over the show, the guitar just takes off and the band hammer it out.
OK - so this CD is live - sounds it (that's the whole point) - it's mostly Hawkwind tracks recorded sometime in 2004 by musicians passionate about the music - and is all about unadulterated space-rock power. I loved every second of it and I'll play it long, loud and often - others may say that they'd rather have had a crystal clear mix of more subtle persuasions, but give me a wall-of-sound approach anyday - I want my live albums to make me feel like I was there - and this does that to a tee.
ROCK/METAL/AOR:
FONY: Live At The Harlequin CD+DVD
First live album from one of the leading UK rock quintets that we have around right now, and why this lot aren't already a name hanging off the tongue of every decent rock fan, is nothing short of criminal. I mean to say, you only have to listen to this album to se that here you have a band that practically reinvents the melting pot that is nu-metal, rock, hardcore and emo, all in one nuclear blast of a performance that sees both band and vocalist shine like a thousand suns. You can't help but be spellbound by the sheer power and dynamics of vocalist Olly Gibbons, as he launches into the songs with a vengeance, a passion I've only before heard from lead singer Don in Dundee's finest indie-hardcore -rock band Henissi. The rhythm section drives it all along as the quite intricate arrangements twist and turn, blazing a metallic trail like a comet's tail, thundering out a wide array of punishing beats and rhythms that defy you to keep still and not gyrate like some out of control dervish. But it's the twin guitar attack that is the heart and soul of the compositions, as riffs and solos fly off at all angles, and you are held breathless in the spell of dual guitars carving out paths that take them far apart only to mesh and combine to form a positive guitar holocaust before heading off into solo territory once more. So much more of a hurricane in a live setting, this is the sound of rage and passion whipping up a storm in concert as the band deliver the goods to perfection, even throwing in a new number for the masses to enjoy, the track, 'El Matador', marking the trademark twists and turns that this band are capable of producing while at the same time rocking out with the best of 'em. By the time we hit their phenomenal anthem 'Chore Again', it's like finding your second wind as, seemingly rocked out, you summon the energy for one final blitz on the senses as the track erupts and the crowd go wild. Complete with a bonus DVD featuring their videos plus six live tracks performed for Spanish TV, this is an absolutely essential purchase for most rock fans around.
SELF AGAINST CITY: Take It How You Want It EP CD
Oooooooo - wow - I just love it when you know within seconds that the CD you're about to review is going to be just the business - and this is one of those CD's. That opening salvo of guitars is just pure widescreen Sugar riffing that has you hooked within seconds, while the song is delivered to perfection by a vocalist who fits like a glove as the whole thing decelerates only to build even higher and then explode in a hail of guitar-driven wall-to-wall dynamics as the rhythms and guitars rise and fall in a spectacular slice of song-writing that fits so much into les than three minutes, you'll be jaw-dropped in amazement - the perfect emo song and then some. 'Speechless' is a slower, more heartfelt number that shows you have a band who can deliver songs that rely on crisp chords, choppy, chunky rhythms, crystal clear arrangements, heartfelt lyrics and vocals that flow like a stream on a sunny day, the whole thing so emotionally intense in a gorgeous way, as the whole thing rises up towards the end to provide the much anticipated wall of guitars and solid rhythm section work as you are so uplifted with it. 'All This Time' is another variation on their theme of class song-writing and arranging, so addictive and so powerful yet so wonderfully crafted, full of highs and lows in terms of the dynamics of the song, again with fragile guitars and solo vocals next to walls of guitars, strong rhythms and multi-tracked vocals, all of which work to perfection. With three further songs, all of equal class, quality and enjoyment, this is emo or nu-rock addiction that you'll just want to play again and again and again without ever tiring of its heady delights.
THE TRACK RECORD: S/T EP CD
A five-track, seventeen minute Ep that opens with the amazingly anthemic summery angst of the huge-sounding 'Plans To Make Up On The Beach' which has you thinking Blink 182 & Sum 41 but takes that brand of catchy emo-pop-rock to even greater heights with some seriously angst-ridden vocals and harmonies that soar over a musical backdrop that has guitars flying, drums thundering and bass pounding away, the vocals in a similar manner to the Blinks, and the whole thing just a magical slice of song-writing. If anything, the second track 'Talk Radio' is even better with its story-telling lyrics, almost hollered yet impassioned vocals allied to meandering arrangements that have you sighing with them one minute and then feeling the force of their angst and drive, the next, as the rhythms and guitars take it all up to decidedly giddy heights on another gem of a song. 'Golden' is a much more forceful, slightly faster style of what's gone before and another song that puts this band right up there with the best of what the aforementioned bands have to offer, and then some, so addictive it deserves to carry a health warning. Two more passionate and powerful songs end the EP, the last number, 'Letter To Summer' so guitar-fuelled and with its stop-start dynamics, and impassioned vocals, solid fast drumming and chiming dual guitar leads and riffs, possibly the best track on what is an EP full of "best tracks" - just astounding stuff and another to be played long, loud and often - a gem!!
THIS IS MENACE: No End In Sight CD
Thirty-five minutes and ten tracks of raging hardcore that has an emo heart and a nu-metal head, this is nothing short of sensational as the tracks ring out in soaring, heavy and anthemic fashion the vocals upfront and raging, but sung to perfection, while all around this awesome maelstrom of a melting pot that is the riff-heavy, guitar-fuelled, thunderously rhythmic band, all combine to create a musical force that just eats you up with its sheer intensity and napalm-soaked heat. Every song is an out and out gem that defies you to sit still. Best enjoyed when turned way up loud and immersed, this is the sound of roaring rock at its finest, rage and riffing rarely sounding so hot, so passionate and so darned musical, the production bringing out the best in everything. Awesome and then some, this comes highly recommended.
YEAR ZERO: With A Menshevik Stride CDEP
A band from London labeled as "post-hardcore" which, in this case, means that the band have blossomed out enough to produce a set of songs that mixes power, passion, subtlety, dynamics, anthemic and attacking stylistic tendencies together in one remarkably potent brew. The songs themselves are delivered with suitably sung - hollering - angst-ridden vocals that light the songs to life, while the combination of dual guitar riffing, soloing and interplay, allied to the massive and tightly knit rhythmic intensity that can suddenly drop back to a whisper before exploding into life once more, all means that here we have four songs that just roar into the skies on a wave of intensity and magic that has you in complete awe of the whole thing as song after song provides one high after another, on an EP that is simply sensational and surely heralds the arrival of a band destined to make it big-time - I, for one, can't wait for an album.
ZERO POINT: Time Stands Still CD
You have to admit that, even for a hardcore album, the vocalists here gives such an impassioned throaty roar of a performance, you half expect to see his lungs leaping out of the speakers as he delivers the songs with a tearing rage and almost unbearably taut vocal. The band crash and burn behind and around him, the shuddering arrangements sitting side by side with moments of acoustic simplicity, dynamic dexterity and shoulder-to-shoulder with soaring acres of guitars and thunderous rhythm section. With compositions averaging six minutes a-piece, there is a whole lot more to digest than yer average hardcore album, with the tracks twisting and turning , soaring and falling, all over the place, so that one minute you're lost in a slowly moving, chiming guitar-led heaven, then suddenly a bass booms out, drums crunch your head and the guitars light up before the whole band erupts and riffs, solos and ensemble power roar forth, as a neat balance of instrumental work stands alongside the rage of the vocalist. It's a very different and fresh-sounding variety of the genre, and to that end, you have to sit up and take notice - even if it is a train ride to hell.
SYNTH MUSIC:
DWIGHT ASHLEY/TIM STORY: A Desperate Serenity CD
14 tracks that mix melody and space, keyboards and synths, rhythms and percussive effects, flow and avant-garde, lightness and shade, eerie and serene, sometimes all within the same track. It's not a space music album nor is it melodic although both elements are present throughout. It is in many ways, quite a challenging album,. One that you have to listen to with intent and experience to see what happens. It can be gorgeous, it can bee unnerving, even irritating, but it's all absolutely fascinating and the mark of two composers and players unafraid to explore providing the end result conforms to what can definitely be called enjoyable and creative synths/keys/percussion dominated music.
DWIGHT ASHLEY/TIM STORY: Drop CD
A most tranquil, relaxed and quite heavenly album from the two masters of the serene synth music styles that inhabit so much of this album collaboration. Thrroughout most of the CD, the synths and kybds weave some truly magical webs, sometimes very celestial, sometimes with a big sounding orchestral nature, but always with plenty of feeling and variation in texrures, using synths, bass, paino and organ, as well as tastefuly used bass bottom end giving the music extra dimensions. But, overall, it's space music of the heavenly kind, a bit gothic in places, but really a most hypnotic.14 tracks.
PAUL ELLIS: The Sacred Ordinary CD
Not so much space or cosmic synth music, although when the rhythms cease, that's there too - this is more akin to hypnotic and mesmerising. The spacey parts are warm and atmospheric, while the slowly unfolding undulating, cascading and cylical synth rhythms seem to hypnotise the listener as the equally slowly moving synth melodies and soundscapes gather up and add to the effect. Much of it is a mix of definitive and difficult so that you find yourself listening intently but at the same time, unsure as to whether or not you are really enjoying it or simply caught up in it. There are enough layers to keep most synth fans happy, while the rhythms do sometimes get a bit "samey" although once again, here, it's arguable as to the effect - I found some of it didn't really "go anywhere", but hopefully, I'm not typical and that most of you out there find much to treasure in this album.
KAT EPPLE/CHUCK GRINNELL: Azure Pieces Of Life CD£12.99
The first "solo" CD since the days of Emerald Web sees flautist Kat Epple team up with keyboards player Chuck Grinnell to produce a delightful and supremely relaxing album that is simply 16 tracks of flute and keyboards. This is not a reincarnation of the old duo but more a feast of music that is simple, heartfelt, atmospheric and extremely beautiful. Some of the tracks are a bit like Tim Story with flute as rippling piano chords fill the background, with notes hanging suspended and flutes wafting over the surface, to create a feel of wide open spaces and cozy warmth. Other tracks exhibit a slightly more "jazz" influence, then a touch of romance, then a touch of almost Victorian and then glimpses of blue skies and clear waters as the almost Mediterranean vibe comes upon us. Overall, it's gorgeous. Just flutes and keyboards and music distilled to a melodic, atmospheric rich and rewarding whole that serves the head and the heart on languid, sunny days when all you want to do is float away to that special place.
F.D. PROJECT: Blue Visions CD
Even though it has string synths, sequencers. electric guitar and electronic drums, it's more like something you'd find on a Rainbow Serpent or Can Atilla or Frank Klare, to name but three, in other words, instead of "Berlin School", we're talking a wholly more commercial style but solid and substantial - synth music that sounds like it knows where it's heading and how it's going to get there. Based around a myriad themes and layers, the music itself is both cyclical and deep, rich and resonant, full of melodies that weave all around and in and out of the core rhythms that run along underneath it all, providing an album that doesn't repeat itself in any way, uses an arsenal of synths and mellotrons and sequencers to create music so rich, you'd think it belonged to Bill Gates. There are undoubted influences from the likes of Schulze, TD & Boots but it's played and composed well enough to be enjoyable simply for what it is. Featuring some searing and high-flying electric guitar solos above the combinations of electronic and electro-percussive rhythms, allied to the sequencers and beyond, this is such a strong and surprisingly enjoyable album - recommended.
