Category: Reviews

Review – Lux Terminus – The Courage To Be – by Progradar

“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched, they must be felt with the heart.” – Helen Keller.

To a music mad amateur journalist like me, that statement applies to music just as much as anything else, if not more! When I hear an inspirational new piece of music for the first time, it can really hit me right in the heart and send it soaring with its beauty.

Let’s be honest, we reviewers listen to so much music that it is easy to become jaded and we could say that it would take something very special indeed to inspire us compared to the man (or woman) in the street. That could just be pretentious tosh but, recently, a new album landed in the inbox that really fits what I’m trying to say to a tee. Let me tell you more…

Lux Terminus (translated as “the light at the end”) was formed in 2016 by three musicians with a shared vision to create unique and powerful instrumental music. Their debut release ‘The Courage to Be’ is a powerful first statement from the progressive rock trio,which consists of keyboardist Vikram Shankar (Redemption), drummer Matthew Kerschner, and bass guitarist Brian Craft.

The album features guest performances from several acclaimed musicians: vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering, Devin Townsend Project, VUUR, et al.), guitarist Timo Somers (Delain, Vengeance), and cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous, Musk Ox).

Put simply, ‘The Courage To Be’ is a groundbreaking instrumental release that takes themes of separation, hardship, hope and transcendence and turns them into an instrumental masterpiece. The incredible keyboard skills of Vikram Shankar are at the forefront of this superbly involving sixty-one minutes of pure musical theatre and that is not belittling the skilled contributions of Kerschner and Craft whose rhythm section adds pure virtuoso drive and impulse.

From the elegantly gentle Prologue: Departure (I), which is part one of a four part thematical musical suite, through the infectious driving grooves of Elctrocommunion, this skillful trio deliver unique and powerful instrumental tracks that just make your heart sing.

There’s intricate and convoluted (Aberration), jazz-funk at its best (Miles Away) and progressive metal, rock, jazz fusion, electronic, and cinematic influences galore, all of which contribute to a dominant first statement from these excellent musicians.

Every track is worthy of praise but the real stand out piece for me is the twenty-one minute orchestrally driven brilliance of the title track featuring Timo Somers. Described as ‘high octane jazz-fusion’, it will literally send your aural receptors into melt down as it ebbs and flows to a manically intense rhythm. I really feel that the band are having as much fun as you can legally have on this track and it’s worth the price of entry alone!

You want your keyboard based progressive instrumental with a more laid back and moody feel? Take Journey (II), Spectral Shapes or The Road Home (III) and the stylish piano and keyboard that adorn them, this album has it all.

To finish, the sultry vocals of Anneke Van Giersbergen grace the lovely Epilogue: Fly (IV), the closing part of our four part suite, a heartwrenchingly beautiful four minutes of pared back delight and a perfect way to close the album out and bring your heart rate back to normal.

Well, what can I say, it really does take something special to get me waxing lyrical about a new release nowadays but ‘Courage To Be’ is one of those rare albums that excites and inspires from the first listen but that will also have the longevity to keep you listening to it in many months to come. Virtuoso musicianship along with intelligent, involving songwriting, Lux Terminus have surely seen the light of the tunnel with this utterly captivating release.

Released 24th August 2018

Order the album from bandcamp here

 

 

Review – Regal Worm – Pig Views – by James R. Turner

Let’s talk about eclectic for a moment, shall we?

I have tastes that vary from Abba to Zappa and all points in between, drifting off at a tangent (via The Tangent) taking in psych, rock of the Yes/King Crimson/VdGG variety plus many other gleefully eclectic sounds. That’s not to mention electronica, ambient, classical and many other genres, so when I come across a renaissance man like Jarrod Gosling who bestrides genres and, indeed, disciplines like a multi-media, multi-talented master of all he surveys then, of course, my curiosity is piqued.

I first encountered Jarrod’s music from I, Monster when they blitzed the charts with their single Daydream in Blue, and the mix of pop and rock, darkness and light and sophisticated sounds weren’t just pushing pop’s boundaries, they were redrawing them. Then there was the more acoustic side of Jarrod’s style – The Skywatchers collaboration, followed by stints with Henry Fool. As well as working on the artwork for Tim Bowness’ solo career, Jarrod also found time to form the absolutely brilliant Cobalt Chapel where his gothic folk vision is matched by the vocals of Cecelia Fage (well known for her work with Matt Berry and The Maypoles) not only that but Jarrod announced himself on the new alternative scene back in 2013 with his triumphant Regal Worm debut album ‘Use and Ornament’, followed, fairly closely, by ‘Neither Use not Ornament’.

Now Regal Worm return with the cheekily titled ‘Pig Views’ (named after Jarrod’s studio, which overlooks one of Sheffield’s football grounds – as a fellow Yorkshireman I won’t go into which one, as it might cause an online ruckus and we don’t want that), did I mention that Jarrod was also a Yorkshireman? A true Sheffield original like Henderson’s relish, and as vital an ingredient to any musical dish as Hendos is to cookery.

I’ll stop with the Hendos and talk about the music, I was eagerly awaiting this album, as the last two Regal Worm albums have crossed prog with psych with Jarrod’s inimitable style and charm and have brightened up every record collection they have joined.

This new addition to the family, with it’s stunning artwork and also available as a pink double vinyl set, looks very smart indeed. Artwork, of course, is by the man himself, while he covers all bases musically with guests including Mick Somerset-Ward on alto, tenor and baritone saxophones and flute, Peter Rophone on voice and acoustic guitar, Louis Atkinson on Alto and tenor saxophones, Emily Ireland, Heidi Kilpelainen and Paul Putner on voice and Graham McElearney on harp.

Amongst Jarrod’s musical arsenal are items like Mellotron, Hammond Organ, Rickenbacker bass, Mandolin, Lap steel guitar percussion and many others. This mix of instrumentation, particularly the sax and flute, give this a very English sound, reminiscent of Canterbury scene bands. Throwing in Jarrod’s love of jazz and psych, and his rock sensibilities then all the work combines to create a unique musical delight.

Rose, Rubus, Smilax, Vulkan is a brilliantly arresting opening, with it’s chant style chorus, and the way it builds and segues nicely into Revealed as a True Future Tyrant is sublime and shows Jarrod’s innate musical sensibilities and style.

He also has a knack for a title, and the wonderfully named Rose Parkington, They Would Not Let You Leave is a wonderfully keyboard driven piece where the pulsating and thundering keyboard and the duelling sax propel what is one of the most joyful sounds I have heard on record for a long time.

You hear the other side to Jarrod on the wonderfully atmospheric Jag Vet, that falls under the heading of a section titled Under den Svenska Vintern (During the Swedish Winter) this suite of songs demonstrates Jarrod’s versatility as the acoustic haunting Jag Vet leads into the 3 part The Dreaded Lurg (like I said, Jarrod has a knack of wonderful titles) where his piano and keyboard playing slowly builds up the song, adding layers of sound and, if you’re looking at best multi-instrumentalist for any awards that happen to be going, I reckon Jarrod has to be in with a shot. His use of the flute as a melodic weapon to drive the piece on is inspired, and it’s those touches of flute and sax, bursts of synths and the juxtaposition of sounds that recall more obscure 70’s Radiophonic Workshop soundtracks or the films of Tigon.

This isn’t copying though, this is weaving disparate and eclectic influences into a new musical whole, pulling random strands together to create something new and unique with little hints and nods to the musical journey Jarrod has been on and wants to take you on. As a musician Jarrod has always done something different and interesting with every release, and this is no different, whilst there are hints of the styles that dominate Cobalt Chapel and I, Monster, Regal Worm is its own different musical entity, one that draws you in with some of the most innovative and eclectic sounds I have heard on record all year.

With the wonderful chorus of the almost hymnal and reverent Huge Machine, You Are So Heavy and the albums wonderfully eclectic style and sound, Regal Worm sits at the forefront of the new English alternative scene. If your record collection has room for a Schnauser or a Knifeworld in it and not a Regal Worm then you need to rectify that forthwith.

This is one of the most exciting and original albums I have heard all year and I implore you, if you enjoy well crafted exciting, innovative and eclectic musical journeys then ‘Pig Views’ is the album you need in your life.

Album of the year so far? I reckon so.

Released 13th July 2018

Order the album on CD or Vinyl at bandcamp here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dWa6aIr7Qg

Review – Alizarin – Cast Zenith – by Progradar

“Instrumental, unconventional rock music that leans on the progressive side, whatever that means…

Consider if King Crimson and Opeth had a baby but were forced to raise it outside the city, due to an overabundance of djentrification.”

Now there’s an introduction to a new band that makes you sit up and take notice! Alizarin is an instrumental instrumental progressive rock trio from Los Angeles consisting of guitarist Josh Kay, drummer Jon Damon and bass player Stephen Ostaszewski, three musicians who want to take the unconventional route and they released their debut album ‘Cast Zenith’ on July 20th.

It’s a collection of seven tracks that takes you on a whistle-stop tour of musical styles and tends to defy the usual conventions. Opening song Faint Home sees Josh’s compelling guitar deliver a serious overtone, quite a melodramatic piece of music that lingers in the mind long after. There’s precision, skill and style to these excellent musicians and that is delivered in spades on the explosive and captivating Anomaly, a track that wears it’s Satriani/Vai influences proudly on its multi-coloured and flared sleeves.

The Vast Enigma opens as almost a soundtrack to an 8-bit computer games from the 80’s before blossoming into a powerful and funky song that has a mysterious undertone to it. The contrast in style to the laid back and jazzy The Window Afar is very pronounced, lost in the lazy, hazy days of a hot summer without a care in the world, this elegant piece of music takes the relaxed route to your musical sensibilities.

The drama returns with title track Cast Zenith, dark and overtly dramatic in its delivery and with a nod to the intricacies of King Crimson as Josh, Jon and Stephen show us their musical chops. A headrushing eight minute musical adventure that never lets up and leaves you laughing at the sheer madness of it all. Like ying and yang, the calmness returns with the delicate and supremely elegant Gethsemane, an ode to Josh’s classical guitar skills.

Every good thing must come to an end and this entertaining debut album closes with the near ten minute splendour of Luminous Apparition. Opening with sombre, reverent and hushed tones that draw the listener in to what feels like a musical take on a dystopian tale.

‘Cast Zenith’ is music that has intelligence and depth, music that takes the listener on an involving journey. This is a great start from this impressive trio and one which promises much for the future, Alizarin are a band that we definitely need to keep an eye on.

Released 20th July 2018

Order the album from bandcamp here

 

Review – Head With Wings – From Worry To Shame – by Progradar

“Head with Wings are storytellers of sound. Textured, ethereal, and blissfully haunting, the U.S. – based songwriting duo creates boundary-pushing rock songs that straddle the aesthetic line between art music and narrative drama.

The emotionally-charged and atmospheric qualities of their craft captured the interest of Earthside keyboardist Frank Sacramone and guitarist Jamie van Dyck, who approached the band to produce their first full-length record, From Worry To Shame.

David Castillo (Katatonia, Leprous, Opeth) joined the team soon after, helping to shape the album’s dense, gripping guitar sound, and Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, Skyharbor) followed, bringing a spacious, shimmering mix and master to the fold.”

Sounds intriguing doesn’t it? Well, after a conversation with one half of the band, vocalist and guitarist Joshua Corum, my interest was piqued even more and I just had to listen to their first full-length album –  ‘From Worry to Shame’ – to see if it lived up to the promise.

A continuation of the concept and themes of desire, grief, and self-discovery explored in the group’s acclaimed 2013 EP, ‘Living With The Loss’, the new album covers the rich breadth of human emotion across nine chapters of an overarching storyline that inhabits the mind of the listener long after its final note has decayed.

Let’s get one thing straight from the start, I really like this album. It dips into the rich soundscape of hard-edged progressive infused rock music, taking cues from masters of the game like Haken, Coheed and Cambria and Circa Survive and Corum’s vocals have that high timbre to them, similar to Claudio Sanchez and Anthony Green. It’s a vocal style that doesn’t appeal to everyone but I appreciate it’s more subtle feel compared to full on heavy metal style delivery.

The thunderous cacophony created by the twin guitars of Corum and Brandon Cousino can sometime be almost deliciously brutal and, at other times, graceful, calm and collected, as evidenced on opening track Goodbye Sky and the starkly eloquent In Memorium.

A musical tapestry that spans epochs in terms of style, sound and substance, the restless and incredibly infectious energy that infuses this dynamic release almost gives it a life of its own. As these powerful songs pass you by, you find yourself becoming immersed in their overarching storyline, Misanthropy is a dark and brooding tale, From Worry to Shame takes the ethereal and melancholic route, the rich breadth of human emotion is traveled as we journey from beginning to end.

An all-enveloping forty-nine minutes of raw emotions that completely involves the listener on every level, ‘From Worry to Shame’ is a heartfelt exploration of the human condition – life, death, hope and despair are visited in all their painful glory. This is not just music, it is musical poetry and a stark reminder that beauty can always be found, even in the darkest of places.

Released 1st June 2018

Order the album from bandcamp here

Review – PLINI – Sunhead – by Progradar

Sydney’s PLINI is one of the rising stars of instrumental progressive rock and is releasing a new E.P. ‘Sunhead’ this month.

‘Sunhead’ features some exciting collaborations, including backing vocals and production from Skyharbor‘s Devesh Dayal (Salt & Charcoal), saxophone from The 1975’s John Waugh (Flâneur), piano and keyboards from Anomalie(Flâneur) and a guitar solo from Tim Miller on Sunhead. The recording line up is completed with drummer Chris Allison and bassist Simon Grove, with PLINI performing everything else.

Written, recorded and produced by PLINI himself – and for the most part, all from a bedroom studio. PLINI explains the writing process and what inspired him:

“I started working on the material almost straight after “Handmade Cities” was released in 2016, sort of with the goal to make a very big, small EP – aiming to put as much detail and refinement into the composition and playing as possible. Both musically and emotionally, the music is greatly influenced by the amount of touring and travel I’ve done in the past couple of years.

I was particularly inspired by Animals As Leaders (who I toured Europe and North America with in 2016), by the musical adventurousness in their last album, and Disperse (who I toured with in Europe in early 2017) for the way they seamlessly combined contemporary pop and electronic elements with prog-metal – updating a genre that sometimes seems (ironically for the name, “progressive”) entrenched in old musical cliches.

Aside from this, I think the “Sunhead” EP is a musical expression of the pure excitement that comes with traveling to new places, meeting new people and eating new things.”

There’s a smooth, funky and edgy feel to opener Kind, a track with a modern jazz overtone to it. The frequent outbursts from PLINI’s guitar add real flamboyance and a flavour of Steve Vai to this uplifting piece of music and the talent is there for all to see, as an opening track it is a perfect appetiser for what is to come.

Salt + Charcoal premiered as a video via Prog mag recently and is a powerfully driven track with staccato burst of guitar and some excellent bass and drums to add substance. Flighty and volatile, it has an almost surreal and alien rhythm that gets under your skin and gets you involved, right in the middle of the mix.

Like a bit of free-form Jazz with your instrumental prog? Flâneur will give you that in spades. An otherworldly six minute musical journey through the most brilliant of musical minds and one which intrigues at every turn. The spaced out keyboard sounds and off-tempo drumbeat give it a devil-may-care feel, an almost mischievous and playful melody that leaves a wicked grin on your face. John Waugh’s sax joins with Anomalie’s piano to close it out perfectly.

The start to closer (and title track) Sunhead immediately brings Jazz guitar legend Martin Taylor but the segue into the frantic riffing soon blows any perceived cobwebs away. The track then leisurely falls back into that super smooth jazz style that I really like, PLINI really showing his virtuosity, before erupting into a full-on funky and energetic jazz-metal vibe. Tim Miller’s solo is as thunderously dynamic as you could hope for and the track, and album, close out with utmost precision.

PLINI is a superlative talent, he has the ability to move through any guitar style seemlessly and that is a rare talent. With ‘Sunhead’ this amazing musician lets us, once again, see a glimpse of his mercurial skills. I have one complaint though, please can we have a full-length album next time?

Released 27th July 2018.

Order the album direct from the artist here

 

Review – Tides of Man – Every Nothing – by Progradar

Tides of Man is an instrumental rock band from Tampa, Florida. Drummer Josh Gould, bassist Alan Jaye, and guitarist Spencer Gill formed the band in 2007, with guitarist Daniel Miller joining in 2010.

The band has an interesting history, as they released music and toured for years with a vocalist before a dramatic shift occurred.

After starting out with a self released EP in 2008 and playing live in the Tampa Bay Area, Tides Of Man quickly built a local following before catching the attention of Portland, Oregon label, Rise Records.

They released 2 full length albums, ‘Empire Theory’ (2009), and ‘Dreamhouse’ (2010), which both featured vocals. After touring relentlessly in the U.S for 2 years, the band parted ways with their singer and record label and took time off to regroup.

After trying out many vocalists and demoing several new songs, the band was unable to find their new singer. With the sound of the new music already taking inspiration from the instrumental post-rock genre, Tides decided on a different approach. They stopped trying to fill the position and instead let the music speak for itself. After playing a show as an instrumental band, it was clear that it was the right decision, and fans embraced the change.

Tides Of Man successfully crowd funded their instrumental debut, ‘Young And Courageous’, in 2014 and return, after 4 years, with the follow up ‘Every Nothing’.

A wondrously expressive collection of twelve tracks that run a whole gamut of emotions all the way through from joy to despair. Layered and intricate tunes that invite the listener to bring their own perception to the music. The songs explore the theme that the most insignificant moments in life can be the most important.

There is power, beauty and grace evident in every musical moment from the brooding majesty of opener Static Hymn and the eminent and involving Old 88 to the fragile splendour of Waxwing and New Futures, the arrangements and tones deliver a truly emotional experience.

To me, this is the beauty of instrumental music, the lack of words allows the listener to create their own subliminal journey through the album, each track meaning something different to everyone. The pomp and circumstance of duo Everything is Fine, Everyone is Happy and the brilliantly titled Death is No Dread Enemy cement this instrumental magnificence perfectly.

‘Every Nothing’ is an album where you will gain the most from listening from beginning to end and immersing yourself in the whole acoustic experience, a dark, brooding but, ultimately, self-enriching journey from beginning to end and one which sees this supremely talented quartet raise their game on every level.

Released 3rd August 2018.

Order the album here:

https://athousandarms.store/collections/tidesofman

 

Review – Evenflow – Old Town – by Jez Denton

In the last couple of months I’ve had the good fortune to have reviewed a number of works by collaborations between very talented musicians who have come together, often after working on other projects and finding lots of musical common ground, to make music that primarily, it seems, enthuses them, which is an enthusiasm that flows through to the listener.

Sometimes the resulting work doesn’t always hit the brief entirely but, on a majority of cases, with prime examples being the 2017 collaboration between Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile and the album released by the duo made up of Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay, ‘Lump’, in the last couple of months. The common factor, it seems, is when it is a partnership working together as opposed to a collective; the lack of too many cooks adds to the broth in subtle ways, complimenting each other in the desire to create an interesting  and well-crafted piece of musical art.

Falling into this category is the latest release on Bad Elephant Music from the collaboration between Stuart Stephens of Whitewater and Mike Kershaw, under the name Evenflow. Evenflow as a name is a suitable place in which to talk about this EP, called ‘Old Town’, as this is a collection of five songs that do, indeed, have an even and gorgeous flow to them. Right from the opening moments of the first track, Creation, Stuart and Mike show their excellent understanding of how to put together their thoughts and music without being seemingly in competition or showing off to the other.

They work together to complement each other’s differing styles and have made a wonderful EP full of the understanding about leaving space in the music and developing a beautifully atmospheric piece. Each player and composer seems overjoyed to be in the presence of the other, meaning that they both allow each other to grow throughout the EP. They have created a truly wondrous collaboration that deserves further development as this duo of Evenflow.

‘Old Town’ is a piece of work that bodes well for the future of this pair as a combination; we can only hope that their own individual work commitments allows them to come together to continue creating. I, for one, was left wanting more when listening to this EP andwould look forward to hearing a longer, album’s length, work from Stuart and Mike. Hopefully Bad Elephant Music will be able to facilitate this and support the guys in future.

Released 29th June 2018

Order the album (only released digitally) on bandcamp here

 

Review – The Kentish Spires – The Last Harvest – by James R. Turner

The Gentlemen behind the Summers End Festival, Huw Lloyd-Jones and Stephen Lambe, have branched out into a record label as well, Sonicbond, truly covering all progressive bases and, following on the release of the excellent Talitha Rise album, they now unleash this album, described as a spiritual successor to the classic Canterbury Scene. With a wonderfully rich and warm sound, this is an assured and impressive debut album.

The band’s members are no stranger to the contemporary prog scene, with guitarist Danny Chang bringing his considerable influence to bear and Rik Loveridge’s wonderful Hammond flows throughout the album. Phil Warren and Tim Robinson on bass and drums provide the impressive back beat that allows the guitars and synths to paint wonderful musical pictures, while the woodwind of Paul Hornsby adds a wonderfully English feel. I am a sucker for bands that use woodwind and brass like The Home Service, Brass Monkey  and Supertramp and this definitely ticks all the boxes for me. Topping it off are the sublimely soulful vocals of Lucie V, who brings her warm, smokey soulful voice to bear on these superb tracks.

From the wonderful opening 11minutes plus opener Kingdom of Kent, this well and truly sets the scene with evocative lyrics (and distinctions between Kentish Men and Men of Kent – having lived there in the Medway towns for a while, this is an important distinction for residents of this garden county,) stirring musical moments, wonderful woodwind and keyboard work, and oh, those vocals. Lucie adds soul to the music that is full of heart and, as an opening track goes, it acts as both a statement of intent and as an opening to a new album by a new band. It is assured and has plenty of verve and swagger. The bonus track Clarity (mixed by one of progs busiest men Rob Reed) is a wonderfully direct song about indecision and direction (something we can all identify with) and, again, Lucie’s vocals add the world-weary element to this, while the band are sublime.

The Canterbury vibe filters its way through the album with the wonderful flute on TTWIG (That’s the Way it Goes) sounding like it snuck in the back from a ‘70’s Tull album. Along with the sax, the woodwind and the wonderfully organic Hammond organ sound, this album reminds me of other great English bands like Kapreker’s Constant or Big Big Train circa ‘The Underfall Yard’ era.

With only 8 tracks on here, the album has room to grown and breath and while it is not a concept album, several of the tracks do link into the history of Kent, songs like Hengist Ridge (not to be confused with a Mike Oldfield album of a similar name) and the opener deal with the subject of the regions wars and battles.

My favourite track on the album is also, funnily enough, the longest at 13 minutes plus. The Last Harvest is a wonderfully English epic where Chang’s guitar soars and Lucie’s vocals take the music to another level, almost reminiscent in points of either Pink Floyd or Mostly Autumn. The closing organ piece that rounds the track off is both sublime and elegiac, reminiscent of Harvest festival celebrations in Churches and Village Halls, the haunting sound you only get from a traditional organ.

This album is a fantastically mature and accomplished debut with some wonderfully English influences drawing from things as wonderfully diverse as folk rock, progressive rock and the Canterbury scene and it weaves them all into an incredibly rich tapestry of sounds and styles. Never jarring and in keeping with the rich musical seam of talent that runs through this album.

I really enjoyed this record, and it is one that will grow on you just like it grew on me and, in Lucie V, we have another wonderful singer with a unique voice who is integral to the success of this record. If you like your English progressive music, and want to try something new, The Kentish Spires are exactly what you need.

Released 27th July 2018

Order the album from bandcamp here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3rOL5W5U20

Review – Chris Squire – Fish Out of Water (2CD / 2DVD / 1LP / 2 X 7″ SINGLES LIMITED EDITION BOXSET) – by James R. Turner

At the last count there have been about 1 million approx. solo albums (ed. – I think you may be exaggerating there James…) from various members of Yes in it’s variety of incarnations (although to be fair, most of them are by Rick Wakeman!) and, now while the band strides the earth in two distinct incarnations (the ‘official’ Yes, where Billy Sherwood has stepped up into the much missed Chris Squire’s boots  and Yes Featuring Anderson, Rabin and Wakeman), neither band has the anchorage or the sheer musical presence that Chris Squire had, the only man to appear on every Yes studio album and whose distinctive bass sound turned bass playing into an art, where it became more than just part of the back beat.

Billy Sherwood is excellent live at taking Chris’ place but there can only ever be one Chris Squire, Rickenbacker in hand, propelling the sound of Yes onwards.

Which is why, for my money, ‘Fish Out of Water’ is the finest solo album by any member of Yes ever released, it’s the finest album that Yes never released, and showcased Chris at his best. Here he takes on some astonishingly great sounds, aided and abetted by old Yes sparring partners Bill Bruford and Patrick Moraz, such luminaries such as Mel Collins and Jimmy Hastings and orchestral arrangements by old friend Andrew Pryce-Jackson. This is pure undiluted Squire, where he lets his vocals and his bass take central stage.

In fact, he didn’t sound as powerful and as energised as this again until on the Yes ‘Drama’ album from 1980.

This re-issue on Esoteric Recordings  is available in both a standard double CD set, which includes the original album and the new stereo mix by Jakko Jakszyk (complete with bonus tracks, the single version of Lucky Seven and Chris Squire and Alan White’s Run with the Fox/Return of the Fox single) or a deluxe boxed set that includes the CD but also replica 7” singles of the bonus tracks, the album on 180g vinyl and ‘Fish Out of Water’ in a new 5.1 mix.

The only quibble I have with this is that the 5.1 mix is only available in the far more expensive box, and for those of us who love the album but don’t need the vinyl or bonus 7” singles, the cost of the box to get the 5.1 is quite prohibitive.

Hopefully when the box runs out, there may be second run of the CD with the 5.1 disc as I am sure the demand for it is out there.

Whilst some of the content (the interview with Chris Squire and track commentary for instance) is also on the 2006 Sanctuary edition of the album, the sound quality and remastering work is stellar. Where the Sanctuary copy fell was the sound of the album, it was very muddy, and the booklet looked like it had been run through a colour photocopier.

The mastering here brings out all the subtle nuances throughout the record and, of course, Jakko’s new stereo mix is a revelation, bringing new life into such epic pieces as the fantastic Hold Out Your Hand and You By My Side.

The two epics on this album were always Silently Falling, with it’s astonishing extended coda, and the orchestrally brilliant Safe (Canon Song) with its lush orchestrations taking up pretty much the whole of side two. This was true progressive music, none of yer regressive nonsense, this was Chris Squire pushing boundaries and making exciting dynamic and, on Safe, truly memorably moving songs.

You get the room for these songs to breathe and grow and develop, and the intricate sounds, subtle musical nuances, even the funk that’s on Lucky Seven (which to me was always the weakest on the album) has even grown on me and I can appreciate it a hell of a lot more than I ever did. Silently Falling for me is the centrepiece of this album, and oh, I would have loved for Yes to take this and make something of it as well (not that there is anything wrong at all with this version, far from it, but to hear Squire and Anderson singing on this together would have been amazing).

The 5.1 is even more astonishing, like King Crimson, Gentle Giant and, indeed, Yes, 5.1 is the music system progressive music was built for and, of course, Esoteric have a great track record in 5.1, as the Hawkwind ‘Warrior at the Edge of Time’ and the recent Barclay James Harvest re-issues show. It is a truly immersive experience for the music lover and it feels, just for the length of the album, that Chris Squire is in the room with you, that this is a private performance just for you, the sound of Silently Falling in 5.1 sending tingles down the spine. The whole mix is revelatory, there is so much more going on, and the mix is beautifully organic, pulling the sounds to life without ever compromising the album.

For those of you who already have this album on CD from previous below par re-issues and indeed the original vinyl and are wondering if it is worth getting a copy, I would say the sound has radically improved over any previous CD version and the Jakko stereo mix is revelatory. If you were thinking of the 5.1, which is on a par with the wonderful 5.1 version of ‘The Yes Album’ by the way, then you would have to look at your budget and decide if it is worth having,  complete with the vinyl.

This is a legendary ground-breaking record, from a legendary ground-breaking musician and, other than a Christmas record (the amusingly titled ‘Chris Squire’s Swiss Choir’) stands as the solo testament to Yes’ anchor. Maybe it is so good because he never made another, not knowing the man I couldn’t speculate on why not, maybe he felt he’d said all he needed to say solo, or perhaps he felt more comfortable within Yes, who can say? However, as one of the most innovative and distinctive musical forces in music, and a year after his untimely passing, this remaster is the appropriate way to celebrate his definitive musical statement.

Released 27th April 2018

Buy the boxset here

Review – Southern Empire – Civilisation – by Progradar

“And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen!”

Sage words of bombast and pomposity and the sort of thing you’d hear at the Last Night of the Proms. To be honest, if we had an equivalent thing for progressive music (in my opinion, the closest thing to classical music nowadays), there would be some prime candidates to be included in any such event.

Having listened to ‘Civilisation’, the new, sophomore, release from Aussie proggers Southern Empire I seriously think they have put forward an excellent case for inclusion in this, admittedly, fictitious concert.

Formed from the break up of cult band Unitopia, their debut, self-titled release had a very positive reaction but they have come back with an album that is grander in every aspect.

Opening track Goliath’s Moon (written by guitarist Cam Blokland) is a thundering, hard-rock heavy piece of music that brings back memories of ‘Milliontown’ era Frost* to my ears. It’s taking all that is good from that style of music and injecting it with some much needed joie de vivre. It is an uplifting and mightily powerful song that flies into town at a million miles an hour, puts a huge smile on everyone’s face and then buggers off the same way it came with not another word, the guitar run out at the end is pure genius too!

Cries For The Lonely takes Dream Theater and Queen at the height of the pomp and circumstance and delivers nineteen minutes of pure unadulterated musical theatre. The lush vocal harmonies are note perfect and the music is as polished as you could ask for and yet there is a definite glint in its electronic eye. There’s an utter sense of enjoyment in the delivery of every note and every word and, once again, a superb guitar solo from Cam closes out the song.

Simply put, Civilisation is a proper progressive ‘epic’ in the true sense of the word. The song is a re-worked and extended version of a song that band supremo Sean Timms wrote with ex Unitopia colleague Mark Trueack for an abandoned album and it ebbs and flows like all great tracks do, there’s some superb saxophone from Mr Timms and Danny Lopresto’s voice is just so silky smooth. It’s twenty-nine minutes of dynamic progressive music like Transatlantic used to do before they decided that too much still wasn’t enough…

The final song Innocence and Fortune dials the intensity back a notch but most definitely not the quality. Written by Timms and Steve Unruh of Samurai of Prog fame, it has more of the brooding quality of IQ to it. Brody Green’s drums and the measured bass of Jez Martin take the lead here but it isn’t long before those lush vocal harmonies make a triumphant return along with that more upbeat tempo. Do we get another great solo from Cam? What do you think…?

‘Civilisation’ is one of the early contenders for album of the year for me, a tremendous release that hits all the right notes and finally sees joy and elation return to the creation of music. It’s as close to a must buy as anything else I’ve heard this year so far. Right, that’s it, I’m off for another listen…

Released 20th July 2018

Order the album from GEP here

Here’s Hold from Southern Empire’s debut album: