JAZZ-ROCK:
BRUFORD: Feels Good To Me - 2005 Remaster+Bonus Track CD
Well, when you look back at this album to find you're dealing with a line-up that effectively mixed a third of National Health with half of UK from a background of Yes, Hatfield And The North & Soft Machine - all of which gives you a fair old idea as to what you're going to hear on this album - and you won't be disappointed. Yes, we're talking British fusion music with the technical virtuosity of musicians at the top of their tree mixed with the all-important "feel" or "human element" that ran through the veins of the "Canterbury" jazz-rock scene throughout the seventies. The result is a largely instrumental album full of cohesive compositions and some spectacular soloing from guitarist Holdsworth and keyboardist Dave Stewart. A couple of songs along the way feature guest vocals from the sultry tones of Annette Peacock and I have to say it surprised me just how in keeping with the rest of the album, the songs still sounded, presenting a natural flow where you'd least expect it. The extra track is a live performance of later stage favourite 'Joe Frazier' recorded in the USA two years after the recording of this studio album. Overall, then, an album that truly HAS stood the test of time - still sounding good and then some.
SNELWAR/MANRING/ZONDER: At War With Self CD£13.99
Now this is a fairly unique trio - essentially electric guitars, acoustic guitars and keyboards, electric bass and drums - but what they do with it is, let's say "interesting". The foundations of the album are a sort of "intense instrumental-heavy progressive jazz-rock" but, certainly for the first four tracks, they have this annoying habit of really letting go with some fiery arrangements only then, just as you're really getting the adrenaline going, suddenly to drop the intensity right back to the sound of guitar, piano, bass and drums, only then to build it all back up again, leaving you wondering why on earth they disturbed the flow of the tracks in the first place, other than for a sort of dynamic effect that, in this case, you wither love or hate - for me it just interrupted the flow. Anyway, they also have passages where they leap out with all guns blazing as this mass of guitars, bass and drums surges forward, the bass well up fron the whole time, but then they'll accompany the whole lot with piano that adds a melodic touch that the firepower of the band just doesn't need, almost taking your attention away from the main effect which is the driving force of heavy fusion. When they start on an acoustic note and work their way up to a more electrifying intensity, that works OK, but when they produce a complete five minute acoustic track such as 'Coming Home' it works a slice of fusion with a melodic appeal largely thanks to the electric bass, an instrument that is produced to be right up front on practically every track. Many of the arrangements are incredibly complex and either add to the effect or make you feel that it's far too clever for its own good, depending on which side of the fusion fence that you sit, as the track 'Event Horizon' so clearly illustrates, although the band do eventually coalesce to fire as one driving unit despite the galloping percussion section that carries on out the back of the piece, the drums, bass and furiously riffing guitar eventually taking over and riding the piece out to gloriously huge-sounding, if still twisted rhythmically, proportions, all incredibly intense to such an extent that you actually draw breath when it finishes. Most of this album is seriously heavy stuff, seriously intense, uniquely written and arranged and full of instrumental dynamics and arrangements that oppose instrumental layers rather than combine them, all resulting in a an almost demanding listening experience, almost an endurance test, and if you survive it and come out smiling, it's fairly guaranteed that you'll want to go back for more - if you don't survive the experience, then it's been nice having you on board.
PROG-ROCK:
AMAROK: Neo Way CD
'Dajenu', the opening track, reminded me of a cross between Mike Oldfield & Gandalf with a touch of Enigma ambience in the rhythmic department, but plenty of melodies, soaring wordless female choruses, high-flying guitars, soaring synths, shuffling, resonant drums and percussion - a tasty way to open an album. By contrast, 'Up Hill' is a song with a male-female vocal that sounds exactly like it should have come off Oldfield's '5 Miles Out' album, electro-acoustic, warm sounding and infectiously anthemic with a Knopfler-esque guitar solo to complete the picture. The one and a half minute 'Two Faces' is a short acoustic guitars piece with a gorgeous tune running through it, then it's onto the near five minute 'No More A-Roving' which, far from being a folky piece, comes right out of the Dire Straits area of things, with added female vocal on the choruses and some solid driving downtempo rhythms. 'On The Road' is a three minute instrumental that could have come off the Mark Knopfler soundtrack album whose name I've completely forgotten (the one with the yellow cover), all twangy guitar and driving, country-esque rhythms. whereas the three minute 'Fifth Mount' is a piano-led instrumental following a similarly jaunty melody line and quite tasty too. The five minute 'Hope' starts with a searing guitar lead as the song begins and we're back into song-based Oldfield territory, this time the presence of synths and multi-tracked chorus adding to the full sound that the track reveals. The album ends with the twenty-eight minute, seven-part, title track, an epic that mixes Oldfield, Gandalf & Knopfler in one giant melting pot of instrumental delight, with melodies and tunes running through the heart of the music, while the instrumental sections are superbly constructed and arranged to be a mix of solid, exotic, driving, relaxed and absolutely exquisite music, with not a wasted second throughout its running time, the Oldfield element proving to be the most dominant. Overall, if this is your sort of thing, then I can imagine you wallowing in its glories for aeons to come, as melodies, tunes, layers and rhythm stride out while dynamics, beauty, simplicity and layering all have their part to play.
AMAROK: Amarok CD
Isn't it funny how, with some albums you only have to be about two minutes in before you know that you have a class album on your hands - and this is one of those albums. Opening with an extraordinarily electrifying guitar lead, the drums and guitars, bass and synths emerge and you find yourself in that typically Pink Floyd style languid rhythm, as violins grace the soundscape to glorious effect, then drop to leave a gorgeous, almost Oldfield-like guitar solo over the rhythmic backdrops and distant strings, as the violin returns, an acoustic guitar lilts away as the electric lead emerges and soars overhead, the expansive synths and rhythmic background flowing strongly as before while the instrumentation changes, organ, guitars and synths take over and the piece changes shape yet again. In many ways this is like a cross between Gandalf, mid-seventies Pink Floyd & Kayannis, instrumentally rich, deep, clear, solid, strong, dynamic, cohesive, varied, consistent and just quite superb throughout. We're talking one amazing quality album here and no mistake.On 'Fieldmour II' it really goes into classic Oldfield-Focus vein as guitars sizzle, synths soar and the rhythm section climbs higher as the whole thing takes off and takes you with it - just awesome. Just like the best works of Oldfield or any of the aforementioned, this moves through all sorts of instrumentally rich, strong and warm moods with a depth of keyboards, guitars, bass, drums and synths that is simply stunning, the production, arrangement, playing and composing as close to perfect as you can get. From symphonic bliss, through acoustic beauty to electric strength, this album has got the lot, a towering and impressive work that you will be playing - and playing consistently - for years to come. It's got quality and class running all the way through. An unqualified gem of a CD.
RICHARD ANDERSSON'S SPACE ODYSSEY: The Astral Episode CD
For the first minute and a half, you're thinking "thrash-prog anyone?" as the band postivley light up and go for broke, but at around 1min 45, the vocalist comes in and your jaw drops as you think "jeeeeezus…. It's Dio" as this Dio clone of a vocalist comes roaring in and the band just continue roaring, the drummer going so fast you'd swear they had to nail the kit to the floor before starting. The vocalist stops, the band race on and this stinging guitar solo sails over the top of this huge heavy metal-with-synths (it's far too heavy to call it "prog-metal") rage that thrashes away for the rest of the track. Oddly enough, the following track, 'Astral Episode' starts with a huge sea of synths and keyboards, the rhythm section now more restrained as the synths lead the way then the pace accelerates, the guitar fires up and in comes our favourite Dio clone to erupt vocally once more. By now, you're either in metal heaven - the eighties variety - or fed up to the back teeth with the whole thing - I know which one I felt - goodnight!!
BLACK NOODLE PROJECT: And Life Goes On…… CD
Now normally when we say a band is heavily influence by Pink Floyd you'd think we mean '67 or mid seventies or thereabluts - but rarely does a band come along that takes most of its cues from 'Division Bell' era Floyd, yet, with its clutch of 4-5 minute songs, that's exactly what this is. OK< so it's not got the production and expansive qualities of Floyd - or the ability to write catchy anthems - but the playing, vocalizing and writing are all still rather fine, and if you like the more languid aspects of that era Floyd, then you should have no problems with this tasty morsel.
RUDI BUTTAS: Rudi's Journey CD
Fourteen tracks, sixty-three minutes, and it's the hinterland where prog, AOR, singer-songwriter and pop all meet in the middle. The opening track 'Long Day' sounds like a prog-rock version of Abba while the second track, 'Radio' is more like modern Peter Gabriel-meets-Robbie Williams complete with Madonna-esque gospel choirs on the finale. Oddly enough, 'Pretty Lies' is only track three but we're already onto our third vocalist - this time a guy with a slightly high register delivery as a sort of early Yes styled piece of prog-pop soars out of the speakers, only once again, as much AOR as prog, mostly verse and chorus, with slight Roxette tendencies the more it goes on. The near five minute 'Breath Of Life' is a heartfelt ballad with a vocalist whose feeling every word, backed by strings, acoustic guitars and bass, shimmering electric guitars also present. The five minute 'Blindman' is another more ballad-like song with acoustic guitars and builds to a huge chorus in anthemic AOR fashion but more symphonic than rock. The three minute Mona' sees the return of a female vocalist on a song that you could imagine Roxette having a million seller on their hands. I think you get the flavour of things by now - this is an album of well crafted pop songs with a decidedly prog-AOR backing and if you have a good ear for a tune, then this will suit you just fine.
CARAVAN: Better By Far CD
First time on CD and remastered. This album from 1977 was never exactly hailed as a "classic" Caravan album but, on listening to this again for the first time in over twenty years, you can see that it's not overly seventies sounding in the "classic Canterbury" sense, but it is every bit a Caravan album and, despite its largely easy-going nature, comes across as a really pleasant set of songs, all delivered with a fluid vocal courtesy of the higher register, trademark tonsils of Pye Hastings, while the band largely sail through the mostly relaxed tracks. OK, so on a track like the mind-numbingly awful 'Silver Strings', you'll be forgiven for wincing and thinking how they could get it so wrong, but by and large it's a decent enough album for the committed fan (and if you love this, then maybe you should be!!)
FOCUS: Live In Southamerica CD
Recorded on the 2002 tour of Southamerica, this is as perfect a live Focus album as they come. The recording quality is exceptional, the playing fluid and the feel absolutely spot on. The new guitarist has a much "warmer" tone than Akkerman, the result being that classic compositions such as 'Focus III', 'Eruption', 'Sylvia', 'Focus II' and a twelve minute 'Harem Scarem', to mention but a few, are fluid, flowing arrangements that sound completely "natural" so that you don't miss Akkerman one bit.
With a running time of sixty-eight minutes, this is quintessential listening for any Focus fan.
FORGOTTEN SUNS: Fiction Edge 1 (Ascent) CD
Nothing adventurous about this concept album which means that fans of well played, well written and arranged, straight-down-the-line Euro-mainland prog-rock will have a high old time listening to this. With its centerpiece a twenty-one minute instrumental that rises from peak to peak with plenty of dynamics and band interplay, not to mention some soaring synth solos, excellent guitar-synth dueling and solid rhythmic backing plus a feel that embodies all that's best about trad prog. Elsewhere a combination of songs and instrumentals allied to the thematic nature of the album as a whole, means that you'll hear a set of tracks that takes a lot of its cues from seventies bands as diverse as Genesis & Eloy, probably the latter influence more apparent, but with the vocal phrasings of the former. The vocals are well delivered in a sort of mid-range vocal while instrumentally, the band don't put a foot wrong throughout. This is pure prog that does what it does extremely well, takes no chances, and delivers the goods on a highly enjoyable album.
JADIS: More Than Meets The Eye -Remaster+Bonus Tracks LTD DBLCD
You know - I don't remember the original album! Well, I do, but I don't recall what it sounded like, it's been that long since I heard it. I do remember it causing quite a stir when it first came out, with people extolling its virtues and saying things like the "next coming of prog-rock" and all that stuff. So, it was with an open mind that I put it on for the first time in about fifteen years. You know what? It's superb!! Even without knowing, you can hear the difference that the remaster has made with the instrumental clarity sounding like your room is the studio and the band are playing in it!!. Compositional quality is equally consistent as the band launch into the opening track, 'Sleepwalk' with an almost stellar magic going on as the interplay between synths, guitars, rhythm section and solo plus harmony vocals, provides a near eight minutes of pure, class A, first division prog-rock heaven. But it's more than mere prog and way better than "neo-prog" - no, this is song-writing at an altogether higher level. The next track, 'Hiding In The Corner' is yet another amazing example of this, with the song so addictive, the arrangements sounding so full and powerful, the expansive realms of electric guitars, synths and rhythms sounding just immense as the prog-rock storm passes through, forceful and flying, passionate and powerful, the music towering from one peak to the next, as the song and extended instrumental work provide that spark you always wanted from a prog-rock album as god as this. Without going over every track, let me just say that the rest of the album is every bit up to the standard of these opening tracks, a winner from start to finish. If you've always loved this, then you really have to upgrade. If you never really knew it, then you have to investigate - on both counts, you simply won't be disappointed. For those lucky enough to get the bonus CD, you'll find thirteen tracks and forty-eight minutes of mostly previously unreleased - all unreleased on CD - demo tracks that, in the main, sound so much better than demos, in fact you'd think it was simply an early version of the band that simply preceded the main album here, with every facet of what made the band so hot right from the start, present throughout, and a thoroughly enjoyable, consistent and rewarding set of listening.
K2: Book Of The Dead CD
The first REAL prog supergroup since UK!!!! We present multi-instrumentalist and Peter Gabriel soundalike Shaun Guerin, ex-UK guitarist Alan Holdsworth, drummer extraordinaire Doug Sanborn, keyboardist/synths player Ryo Okumoto and violinist Yvette Devereaux on a magnificent sounding album of prog at its best - sounding similar to and as good as anything UK ever did and not that far from classic Genesis, with a feel that's firmly rooted in the seventies while at the same time sounding just incredible. With five tracks over forty-six minutes, the band get more than their fair chance to shine, yet the sum of the parts makes a whole that is breathtakingly spectacular. The songs are the best you'll have heard since any number of vintage and classic British seventies prog albums, with a vocal that is pure Gabriel-esque in terms of its sound, its passion, even its phrasing, and on compositions as amazingly written and arranged as this, as close as it gets to proggy heaven. But that's by no means the whole story - we're talking Holdsworth's guitar work at its most prog-sounding and expressive best, melodic, fluid, flowing and it's like UK all over again. The drumming is every bit as good as Bruford or Bozzio, even a mix of the two, while Okumoto & Devereaux, on a sea of synths, keys, mellotrons and violin, just soar and fly in ways that will leave you jaw-dropped in admiration and stunned as to the brilliance of it all. The album itself is, in the fine traditions of the best seventies releases, a "concept album", written and arranged by Ken Jaquess. The opening track is a staggeringly fine twenty-three minute epic that will occupy a place by your player for years to come with its twists and turns, sheer flowing construction and impassioned delivery, making it the 'Supper's Ready' of the new millennium. Everything about this track oozes pure class and quality, but, more than that, the sheer spectacle of hearing the synths, vocals, rhythm section, electric guitar and violin played like THIS, is nothing short of spine-tingling. The second track has an intro that will leave you swearing you've been transported back to the heady days of the seventies, while the main body of the song has a similar effect, as the sound swirls all around you and it's like having classic Genesis playing in your living room - it's monumental and then some, nearly seven minutes of utter prog bliss. What follows is like a delicious collision of UK and Genesis with three tracks at seven, three and six minutes that put the icing on the already sumptuous cake.
In short, it's magnificent - one of the best "seventies prog-rock" sounding albums ever made - and it's only thirty three years late!! But so worth the wait, you'll want it yesterday.
NEW EDEN ORCHESTRA: Anyman CD
I'm not quite sure who coined the term "neo-prog" but to my way of thinking it got applied to bands who didn't quite know whether or not they wanted to be a rock band or a prog band, with songs the important factor and plenty to say, but instrumentally, while proficient, ran shy of doing anything they could be accused of overdoing, yet at the same time wanted so much to be complex and studied, to be taken seriously as a band without being laughed at as prog, in their humble opinion. If that is indeed a fair summation, then this is, indeed, neo-prog, in the same way that bands like Arena and most of what the Cyclops label chucks out are neo-prog. A world where the song is everything and the band don't know whether or not to be 10cc, Todd Rundgren, IQ, Jump, Arena, Crosby, Stills & Nash or what. Lyrically, this is immense in the sense that the guy hardly stops singing, and every song tells a story. That's about it, really - didn't move me one jot, but I daresay there are those that will love it.
NOSOUND: Nosound CD
In advance of the full seventy minute album being manufactured, the musician behind this project has sent out twenty-nine minute demo CDR's, and that's what I'm reviewing, all tracks appearing on the resultant full-length album. First off, as the album kicks in, the influences from Porcupine Tree become ever more evident, although more Mellanova than Pineapple Thief, if you get my drift. The track you want to hear first is the near ten minute 'Idle End' which, although slightly slower, bears all the hallmarks of classic ballad-style Porcies, right down to the hushed, harmony vocals, although a faint trace of accent in there, working just a treat. The guitars chime, the synths are warm and enveloping, the mood heartfelt, the track slowly building and exotic, as the bass and drums come in and provide slow drive and simple rigidity. The sound billows out as the song continues, all quite beautiful and then it all takes off to wondrous effect, synths-led initially and then this incredible guitar solo just flies out of nowhere and takes your breath away for over a minute before the guitar allies with the re-emerging synths and wonderfully restrained rhythm section to slide in magical fashion through the instrumental finale. The four minute 'Wearing Lies On Your Lips' is similar only more condensed and equally outstanding, most definitely Porcupine Tree influenced - unmistakable. Elsewhere the story is similar - compositions with a wealth of stunning synths and keyboards, the guitar used to magnificent effect but sparingly, while the rhythm section is subtle rather than driving, the whole thing riding on songs that are slow drifters that build and soar. As much a synths-version of Mellanova as Porcies, it is nevertheless a quite gorgeous and, at times, dramatic and dynamic, debut offering and if the rest of the album reaches these heights, it's going to be something very special indeed.
NOSOUND: Sol 29 CD
The full sixty-four minute album, as opposed to the thirty-odd minute sampler sent out on pre-promotion, and the story is the same but different. First off you get to hear the tracks in the order that the musician feels makes the most sense. This means that the near seven minute opener, In The White Air', with its languid rhythms, gorgeous piano chords, richly textured synth flows and slightly accented Steve Wilson-eqque vocals, all make you think of a guitar-less Porcupine Tree, although even this is remedied just after the five minute point, as a wicked, deeply buried, fuzz guitar lead emerges to complete an already wondrous musical picture. The four minute 'Wearing Lies On Your Lips' really IS the ghost of late nineties Porcies with a song that, once again languid, has all the atmosphere and glorious harmonies/textures of any vintage Porcies ballad - just sublime. A brief, near three minute, keyboard instrumental heralds the arrival of the near ten minute 'The Moment She Knew', an instrumental that you can't help thinking sounds like any number of extended between-lyrics instrumental excursions from Porcupine Tree mixed with a more eloquent keyboard presence, but the whole feel and mood of the music is pure Porcies from start to finish as the mighty composition flows into your life with expression and emotion. A two minute atmospheric instrumental leads into the six minute song 'Overloaded' - starting with synth undercurrents, tasty acoustic guitars and those superb nlanguid Floyd/Porciesstyle vocals as the sound of mellotrons adds a glorious touch before the rhythm section begins and a simply superb song unfolds its magic. The six minute 'Broken Parts' is similar only here the addition of a soaring electrifying lead guitar puts the icing on an already substantial cake and produces a song that is utter bliss. The near ten minute 'Idle End' which, although slightly slower, bears all the hallmarks of classic ballad-style Porcies, right down to the hushed, harmony vocals, although a faint trace of accent in there, working just a treat. The guitars chime, the synths are warm and enveloping, the mood heartfelt, the track slowly building and exotic, as the bass and drums come in and provide slow drive and simple rigidity. The sound billows out as the song continues, all quite beautiful and then it all takes off to wondrous effect, synths-led initially and then this incredible guitar solo just flies out of nowhere and takes your breath away for over a minute before the guitar allies with the re-emerging synths and wonderfully restrained rhythm section to slide in magical fashion through the instrumental finale. The near six minute Hope For The Future' is another song, again languid, revolving around oceans of string synths and chiming acoustic guitars as the hushed vocals carry the lyrics, as it emerges, reveals and fades, before it's into the final ten minute title track, an instrumental that starts off with atmospheric space synth flows, before adding synth choirs, string synths and deep rivers of bass, and it's this canvas of sound that flows and builds then fades. So, overall, essential listening to a synth fan who likes Porcupine Tree or a Porcupine Tree fan who likes synth music - but, however you put it, it's a remarkable, consistent, self-assured, confident, quality and totally enjoyable, long-term, debut album.
NOVACT: Tales From The Soul CD
If you're one of these people that get off on a big blast of intensely huge-sounding prog-metal erupting from the speakers in a cauldron of sound that comes at you like the onset of nuclear winter, then this album is going to send you into raptures, for while the synths, bass , drums and guitars are decidedly discernible, it's like this massive wall of proggy metal hitting you with all the force of a wrecking ball. Above all this, the vocalist definitely opens up and just lest go with a vocal that reminds you of several European vocalists but you can't put your finger on which one, probably somewhere between Eloy & Scorpions I guess. This is genuine prog-metal, inhabiting both worlds and doing it well, the immense synths presence always central to the mix as a backdrop while the guitars riff and roar all around, occasionally rising up to provide some solos of searing proportions. It sounds as though it's going to be a bit of a sonic soup from what I've written here, but the production is just superb, so that you get the dual treat of the wall of sound while at the same time being able to enjoy what each musician is doing, the prog at perfect alignment with the metal. The vocalist actually delivers a set of lyrics that, for once, make you think, and manage to avoid the usual prog-metal song clichés, with a stunning set of songs that. Together with those towering arrangements of instrumental grandeur, really hammer home. In many ways it's like a mix of Eloy, Spocks Beard, Dio & Ayreon as song after magnificent song simply leaps out at you in a fireball of blazing and intensely magical proportions.
STEVE THORNE: Emotional Creatures - Part One CD
It's prog-rock in the same sense that the first couple of Peter Gabriel albums could be classed as prog-rock - and you know what? - I could see a lot of people who liked those first couple of Gabriel albums, really getting off on this. You see what we have is a song-writer and vocalist who writes and sings some rather stunning songs - there are some wonderfully incisive, thought-provoking and story-telling lyrics delivered in a less husky Gabriel-ish manner with song after song just the business!!! If that wasn't enough, the band that's been assembled to do justice to these songs, reads like a who's who of prog-rock. We have Nick D'Virgilio on drums, Tony Levin on bass and Stick, Geoff Downes on keys and synths, IQ's Paul Cook & Martin Orford making guest appearances and Thorne himself on guitars, bass and vocals. The songs are excellently arranged, some to such an extent that, even though it may only last around five minutes, you get the whole feel of an epic in the making with layers and textures, power and dynamics, so that a song such as 'Last Line' develops into a fierce melting pot of synths, organ and guitars in the mid-section instrumental passage, the rhythm section driving madly along and the whole section taking off to leave you breathless at the result. This is a superbly crafted album, song-writing and singing and playing at an emotional high as you feel every bit of it soak into your soul with glorious magic and gorgeous feel. It transcends its aims, becoming a classic set of brilliantly delivered prog-rock based songs, produced to a tee and so choc full of feeling, you'll be a limp lettuce at the end. A truly superb album.
PSYCHEDELIC/STONER/SPACE-ROCK:
HAWKWIND: Pink Floyd Encyclopaedia - Revised Edition Book+ CD
The long awaited updated and expanded edition of the book, but what makes this both special and a complete pain to Hawkwind collectors is that the CD by Hawkwind that accompanies this book, has also been expanded and the track list is now Hawkwind doing Pink Floyd's 'Interstellar Overdrive', "Saucerful Of Secrets' and 'Hyperdrive-Reprise' - exclusive to this release and unavailable elsewhere.
POCKET GODS: The Ninth Configuration EP
A single eighteen minute slice of jamming - or one presumes jamming, although it does seem like they knew what they were doing - with a trio of electric guitar, bass and drums. The quality of recording is great although rustic - by that, I mean that the drums do sound a tad "tinny" although I'd rather have that and well up in the mix, than sounding like a couple of tin cans two blocks away. After that, the bass thunders away merrily all over the show, sometimes rumbling along the bottom of the mix, other times soaring into view alongside the guitar. Ah yes, the guitar - stunning. Whether fuzz, searing lead, rhythm, riffing or effects-laden, the guitar work is the star of the show as this mostly instrumental epic track carries on from peak to peak. Around the seven minute point, the band suddenly accelerate and the whole thing goes into overdrive with dual leads from bass and electric guitar, as the drums propel the band forwards in forceful fashion. Towards eleven minutes, things calm down a tad and the guitar work slows right down although still blazes away magnificently, eventually re-emerging as a chiming, almost acoustic sounding sea of tones as the vocal intones briefly over lilting bass and the sound of tables, all changing the mood to one of psychedelic reflection, and it is this, together with a set of narrated sentences, that sees the album out in quite bizarre fashion, after all that's gone before. Stoned rather than stoner, I loved it - can't wait to hear the full album.
SONIC FLOWER: Sonic Flower CD
It may only be twenty-five minutes long, but its six instrumental tracks have enough electricity running through them to light up half of Dundee. With the needle firmly in the red, this is a dual electric guitar, electric bass, drums line-up that puts on its psychedelic hat and really delivers the goods. Right from the start, you drown in this hailstorm of pounding bass, driving drums and a veritable cauldron of smoking guitars as the whole thing moves forward at a brisk pace with all guitars blazing and anyone who likes Marble Sheep would do well to get a listen to this. It's sensational, completely mind-bending instrumental psych jamming style of things with electrifying guitar work that will have you picking your jaw off the floor as it unfolds. A monster of an album - more please!!
WHEN'S THE FUTURE: Same Time Tomorrow CD
From the remarkably consistent Stone Premonitions label, comes the second CD from the When crew, here a 14 track, seventy minute offering with tracks ranging from one to nearly eleven minutes long. First thing to say is that it's entirely instrumental - not a song in sight. That alone sets it apart from the first one. That said, it's decidedly psychedelic, but in a totally unique way. Musically, it's so unlike anything that you've really encountered before. Don't get me wrong - this has rhythms - tons of the things - and more drums and percussion than you can shake a shaker at, while the main body of instrumentation comes from electric bass, keys and synths and electric guitars, plus a variety of samples at odd points along the journey. In some ways, it comes across as a more psychedelic answer to the seventies version of the Krautrock band Embryo only without any jazz flavourings. Oddly enough the one thing you do notice about this musis, is the absence of what you'd call any considerable lead work - you won't find searing guitar licks or wailing synth solos here - instead it's very much a collective, almost tribal in many ways - and its uniqueness is what makes it sound so refreshing and work just superbly. To give a track by track breakdown would take forever, but there are no fillers and what you do hear will have you transfixed as no one track sounds much like another and yet there is a flow to the album that carries you with it. The bass and drums take an upfront stand in the mix as much as anything else, and this is a rhythmic ride of statuesque proportions. With flavours along the way of nineties ambience, Middle Eastern rhythmic structures, tribal grooves plus layer on layer of addictive, driving, mostly percussive, rhythms, this is one of those easily accessible yet amazingly different albums that, once you play it and get inside its heady delights, you'll be playing it for a long, long time to come.
