Tag: Charlie Cawood

Review – Kyros – Mannequin – by John Wenlock-Smith

Kyros have been around for well over a dozen years. Originally a solo project formed in 2009 under the name Chromology by Shelby Logan Warne whlist undertaking an undergraduate degree at Middlesex University. In 2010 Warne began writing a debut album that would be released under the name Synthaesthesia. It was as a self titled album in 2014 and was well received. However, after releasing the album Warne began to put together a band to play the material live and for future activities.

This line up was composed of Warne on keyboards, vocal and production along with another University colleague Samuel Higgins on second guitar, guitarist Ollie Hannifan, drummer Robin Johnson and bassist Peter Episcopo. Hannifan decided he wanted a leave of absence and was temporarily replaced by American guitarist Joey Frevola who eventually joined as a full time member, replacing Hannifan. After recording ‘Mannequin’, Episcopo left to be replaced by Knifeworld member Charlie Cawood.

Anyway enough history and biography, let tell you about what this album is like…

Kyros specialise in an updated progressive rock version of classic 80’s Synthpop. Which, actually, they are really rather good at performing with this resulting album, ‘Mannequin’, being chock full of some familiar sounds and styles. Think ABC, Duran Duran, Propaganda and Japan, you wouldn’t be a mile off. The music is all performed so fabulously with style and conviction that you wouldn’t think this was recorded in 2024, it sounds so much like a lost 1980’s album and I mean that as a compliment.

I really have warmed to this album the more I hear it, the songs are strong and well delivered, the production is flawless and sonically spot on. All in all, it’s a remarkable achievement from the band and is definitely on my best albums of the year list, it is that impressive musically. This release plays like roller coaster with a series of tracks with ferocious drumbeats, a fiery guitar and thumping bass lines. I am seriously impressed with it all, especially Showtime which is full on, relentless and rather hi-energy in style, Shelby’s synths are all over this track all, it is simply glorious! Illusions Inside is another fine track with heavy elements of Propaganda’s Dr Mabuse track, this song really grabs the attention, especially the excellent bass from Charlie Cawood.

Esoterica is another stunning track with a running sequence of an ambient electro beat driving the track along. Lots of intense guitar chords add to the great rhythm of the track and, again, superb heavy synthesisers are present. A great chorus adds dynamics to this excellent track and I love how it mixes up the sound, a glorious, blistering, thunderous sonic assault. It is truly remarkable stuff, seven minutes of magnificence. The End In Mind has lots of intricate and dextrous bass lines giving another powerful groove that has strong echoes of Duran Duran, especially in that luscious bass, the spirit of John Taylor is definitely present and correct here. The guitar work of Joey Favola is superb too, driving a heavy groove offset by the Sonic the Hedgehog type keyboard sounds (the Sega Mega Drive game more than the movies though). It’s a fairly long track and that gives it time to proceed through its different sections which, taken together, form a very cohesive whole.

Digital Fear is a fairly short track with lots happening musically. It takes a while for things to really kick in on this track which is good as it’s and instrumental and a great one at that. Ghosts of You is so 1980’s that it is unbelievable! It reminds me a little of Go West or The Blow Monkeys as it has that sort of swing to it, or possibly Breakout by Swing Out Sister but it is one hell of an excellent track. Liminal Space puts us in prime a-ha territory, albeit with a very heavy bass line, or maybe it’s Roxette I’m hearing here? either way, it’s mightily impressive.

Technology Killed The Kids is the album’s penultimate track and there is a more moody delivery on offer here. Another powerfully pounding track, I’m sure it will be barnstorming live. More spidery guitar lines from Joey are propelled by Charlie’s strong bass work. I love the way the sound distorts like the tape has broken down, whether this is deliberate or not I can’t say, either way it is effective. The final song Have Hope opens with a very upbeat synthesiser sound, an all round excellent sounding track with shades of Kajagoogoo to my ears.

Whilst this album is heavily reminiscent of the New Romantics, it really is more of a celebration and homage than a carbon copy for within its grooves are some very fine tracks and exciting and committed performances that are really well delivered. ‘Mannequin’ is a wonderfully expressive and exceptionally bold release that you really need in your life. If Steven Wilson can gain kudos for his 80’s sounding albums then why shouldn’t Kyros?

Released February 2nd, 2024.

Order direct from the band here:

Merch — KYROS (kyrosmusic.com)

Dark folk / prog artist Marjana Semkina (Iamthemorning) announces new album and streams first single

Sirin album out 31st May; ‘We Are The Ocean’ lyric video streaming now

Album guest features include Jim Grey (Caligula’s Horse) & Mick Moss (Antimatter).

Progressive dark folk artist Marjana Semkina has announced the release her second solo LP – Sirin – on 31st May 2024 along with a Kickstarter campaign. She has also unveiled the first single ‘We Are The Ocean’ along with a stunning lyric video.

Watch the lyric video for ‘We Are The Ocean’ here:

Pre-order Sirin here:

SIRIN by Marjana Semkina — Kickstarter

Known for her work as the vocalist of prog duo Iamthemorning, self-exiled Russian Marjana has forged a successful solo career with two critically acclaimed solo releases: her 2020 debut solo album Sleepwalking, and 2021 follow-up EP Disillusioned. Like its predecessors, Sirin is a journey of dark stories and fairy tales, told with Marjana’s uniquely captivating voice, on a foundation of detailed musical arrangements. However there is a prevailing darkness and grief, inspired by of Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the first single about by the protests.

On new single ‘We Are The Ocean’ Marjana comments: “This song was inspired by all of my Russian friends coming out to protest against the war when it started, despite the fact that there was a very good chance they’d get arrested for doing so – a lot did in the end. I wrote lyrics to this song on a train to one of those protests in London, Trafalgar Square in early March 2022.”

On the album Sirin, she continues: “Sirin is a mythical creature from ancient Slavic mythology, half-bird half-woman, she’s a harbinger of bad luck and death, and it’s believed that if you meet Sirin a big catastrophe will happen – except in case with the events surrounding this album it’s already happened. Sirin cries and mourns for humankind, and nothing can be more appropriate in this day and age. Sirin is one of very few creatures that can travel between worlds – a world of gods of light, a world of dark deities (in some versions an alternative to the underworld) and a world of mortals. This felt appropriate because the album is quite diverse in sound and some might think parts of it sound happy, but the subject matter is almost always quite morbid, which creates a contrast that I enjoy.

“I was never very political and I always tried to keep my art within the realms of lore, literature and imagination. But when events like the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine happen, it is impossible – and I’d even say, unforgivable – to stay silent and do nothing. Thankfully being based in the UK I feel rather safe speaking out against the current regime and I do have a platform that I can use to try and show the world that Russians disagree with the actions of the Russian government, and there are so many of us that only wish for this to be over. I’m just trying to show it in the most artistic way I can muster.”

Now permanently based in the UK, Marjana has been an active campaigner against the Russian occupation in Ukraine and has raised thousands of pounds via her activities to support the victims of war. She will continue her work, including selling a number of a limited run of handwritten lyrics from Sirin, with the money going to Ukrainian charities. Acts punishable by 15 years imprisonment should she return home.

Marjana is joined by an array of world class musicians (detailed below), which includes two very special guest vocal performances from Jim Grey (Caligula’s Horse) and Mick Moss (Antimatter).

Marjana has previously collaborated with many incredible artists, including The Flower Kings, Jordan Rudess, Blackbriar, as well as Anna Murphy with their Maer project. Combined with her work in Iamthemorning, her experiences have enabled her to become one of the most unique and exciting solo artists in the progressive world today. 

Recording musicians:
Grigoriy Losenkov – piano, bass guitar, synths, drum programming
Vlad Avy – electric guitar, synths, drum programming
Keli Guðjónsson (Agent Fresco) – drums 
Charlie Cawood (Medieval baebes, Knifeworld) – acoustic guitar, bouzouki, glockenspiel, hammered dulcimer, luiqin, guzheng
Liam McLaughlin (Sithu aye, IATM) – electric guitar
Margarita Chernyshevskaya – 1st Violin 
Petr Chepelev  – 2nd Violin 
Julia Uliashcenkova – Viola 
Julia Romashko – Cello 

Review – Tonochrome – A Map In Fragments – by Emma Roebuck

“Tonochrome are a London based art rock quintet whose grunge aesthetic is peppered with jazz harmony, contemporary classical influences, Andean sounds and pop hooks. A coming together of opposites, of texture and colour, of the acoustic and the synthetic, Tonochrome are a joyful reminder of what music can be when you just don’t give a damn about convention.”

Their own publicity from the website speaks volumes and Tonochrome have been making noises in the capital for a short time now with some very positive press. They have an interesting take on music and draw from any muse that feels right, plundering from across the board from world music to blatant pop and seem to believe nothing is off the table. The music draws from the melancholy end with melody at its core and Andres Razzini’s voice has a definite quality to it that slots into that downbeat shoegaze, indie feel.

12 tracks, no epics just solid song writing but definitely not verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle-eight, verse, chorus, fade …

Border Crossing is just what it sounds like – a narrative of refugees and the loss of life and human rights. The use of understated percussion and violin sounds along with an open guitar where space is left in abundance until the build up of tension drops into a driving riff adds to a measured pace that reflects the cold way the politicians have used the refugee crisis to their own ends. Disputed Area definitely channels Sigur Ros with its use of melody and space. This again has a current affairs storyline with an awareness of what is happening in the world. What stands out here on this track for me is the use of percussion and rhythm or actually a lack of a driving beat, Jack Painting playing an open game, layering textures of sound.

Humbled & Broken is faster paced and up beat and, for me, connects Charlie Cawood’s influence and Knifeworld into the band. The keyboards play a big role with a Latin American rhythm and phased electric piano. The Three “interludes” that are spread through the album act as punctuation and have the feel of a jam session that helps the flow of the album from one space to the next. They highlight the talent on display and are so understated with it.

Conformity comes under examination with Just Like Us, the use of the string section and wah wah guitar sound has harmonic overtones that can be heard through much of Knifeworld’s material. Kilometre Zero reflects the power a solo voice and piano can carry with a string section adding an eerie back drop in the final third. Truly spine tingling in its tone and feeling, this is a hidden gem in the album.

I don’t do track by track reviews, I normally just want to give the music fan an idea of what they are buying and then let them decide but I cannot finish without mentioning The Gates. This stands out head and shoulders for me personally, the structure, the composition and the sheer quality show a maturity and restraint that others should take note of and learn from. It is melancholy concentrated into one piece of music.

I refuse to brand this outfit as Prog, but it is truly progressive in its nature. The Delinquent Pachyderm has a real stand out album here. If you are going to start a new year with a bang this is it! Tonochrome sit on the fringes of shoegaze/ alternative/indie in a very real way. I reckon with some luck and a little mainstream coverage (Radio 6 are you listening), they could shatter the glass ceiling that is blocking much of the good music around right now.

Released 2nd February 2018

Order ‘A Map In Fragments’ from bandcamp here:

 

Review – Charlie Cawood – The Divine Abstract – by Emma Roebuck

This landed in my inbox and I will admit to anticipating this with a huge amount of glee. Knifeworld are a personal favourite (hint new album please), Mediaeval Baebes and the wonderful My Tricksy Spirit album released not long ago appeal to my love of the leftfield of music. The publicity from Pachyderm Central (a hidden cave on the coast of Yorkshire) leads with:

“A veteran of the London music scene for over a decade, Charlie is best known as bassist of critically acclaimed psychedelic octet Knifeworld, and instrumentalist/co-arranger for Emmy-nominated Classical choir Mediaeval Baebes. He also plays stringed instruments in Bad Elephant Music stable mates My Tricksy Spirit”

Charlie must feel great pressure to deliver something very special and on the more eccentric side of the esoteric. In truth I had no idea what to expect as all three of the projects that Charlie is involved in were so different and not really all him but more where he is a contributor or guest of the primary writers. The list of musicians he has on this album is massive and listed at the end of this review. There are instruments that I had no idea what they were let alone what they sounded like.

To the actual music, which is after all what folks really want to know about. Imagine a place in heaven or another world or plane of existence where you have access to living and dead masters of their instruments jamming in a space.  From Ravi Shankar, John Mclaughlin and George Harrison to Vangelis, Mike Oldfield and many others, I think this is what is in Charlie’s head in this album. He has sat and heard all these and has filtered what he has heard and made it The Devine/Divine Abstract ( both spellings are used on my copy).

Shringara, the opening track is a melee of Sitar and guitar instrumental music yet has clarity and lilting tone. I assume it Comes from the Rasa, meaning the love of art and beauty, because it does channel that feeling to me.

The Divine Abstract is next falling into 4 subsets –  Echolalia, an endless repetition of someone’s speech often associated with mental health issues is just that, a refrain shared with instruments with a sonorous cello linking the music.  The Earths Answer picks up the theme and carries it to an acoustic modern quartet classical piece, Fearful Symmetry carries on balancing the sonic journey but lifting the pace with a violin taking the lead and finally Western Lands is carried by a melodic drifting connection of the three previous pieces into a final whole to complete the journey. I don’t know a great deal about Charlie but it feels like he is channeling or commenting on the human condition with music, no words just the honesty of his composition.

Earth Dragon from the Chinese Zodiac is a three part piece using what sounds like a very classical Chinese music approach. There is nothing fiery about this dragon but a meditative repetition of musical themes using instruments true to the form. You are carried on the breeze of the music which is easy on the ears yet far from simple in its form.

The Garden of the Mind, this is a tranquil jazz fusion freeform piece that is the closest to Knifeworld in form but without the manic intensity of the band in free flow. I could drop this into a Weather Report or Miles Davis set and it would not be lost in the melee.

Skip two tracks because I like to leave a little mystery and we finish with Apotheosis. One meaning is to deify and raise to its peak. In this Charlie has drawn together the thematic musical strands of the album to create a piece that stands apart from the rest.

First the gripes, I want more exploration and testing of the limits of the music. Just as I get into a piece it ends and I feel there is more to hear.

This is an album that can be heard on multiple levels. Put it on in the background and let it wash around the room and a tonal pleasance will fill your senses and make whatever you are doing feel easier. Headphones on in a darkened room it is akin to musical meditation with layer upon layer of music to discover, clever sophisticated music that opens doors both spiritually and emotionally. Charlie has opened his musical heart in this album and it shows being very accessible and yet very varied in influence.

It will grow on you as you listen. I struggled looking how to get my feelings about it over but not because it is a hard album but the way it made me feel was complicated.

Released 3rd November 2017

Order ‘The Divine Abstract’ from bandcamp here

Charlie Cawood: acoustic, electric & classical guitars, Fender VI, acoustic & electric bass guitars, sitar, pipa

with

Katharine Blake: treble & sopranino recorders
Lucy Brown: French horn
Flora Curzon: violin
Hannah Davis: vibraphone, glockenspiel
Julie Groves: flute
Chlöe Herington: bassoon
Steve Holmes: piano, celeste, Minimoog, bass synth
James Larcombe: piano, dulcitone
Dennis Kwong Thye Lee: xiao
Nicki Maher: clarinet
Ben Marshall: oboe, cor anglais

Review – My Tricksy Spirit – My Tricksy Spirit – by Emma Roebuck

‘Balinese gender wayang’, three words that don’t spring to mind, even to the most ardent musicologist let alone this enthusiastic amateur reviewer, but that is the instrument of choice of Nick Gray,the main driver of this project, along with Charlie Cawood (Knifeworld,  Mediaeval Baebes) and Rob Shipster (MatchMusic), latterly joined by Roxanne Aisthorpe as a guest vocalist and now a full member.

A Balinese gender wayang (mainly because I wanted to know what one looked like.)

In the current climate of “Is it Prog-gate?” I am loathe to categorise this album in any shape or form mainly because it does defy pigeonholing and I do not want to get involved in a pointless debate.

To the music; Nick lectures in South East Asian music and this is a central pillar of the album with a very western twist. Percussion and rhythm sit front and centre in the whole album, as you would expect. Equally there is nothing traditional in the structure and form of the album, despite there being 7 tracks, it flows from beginning to end in complete connectivity.

Always with You opens with beeps and tones going into an insistent rhythmic drive (from the said gender wayang) that gives an electronic dance music feel but not a 4/4 120BPM time signature. Roxanne gives a Rock In Opposition vocal performance, counterpointing the music beautifully. If it ran to 4 minutes then Radio One and the like would be all over this like a Bee is to nectar, but it runs to 10 minutes plus without repetition or tedium. This track sits very well in the current cadre of intelligent music coming from leftfield with no genre to call their own or willing to claim them. Her voice reminds me much of Mishkin Fitzgerald of Birdeatsbaby in tone and quality.

Free Of Stars takes me immediately back to my student daze (sorry, ‘days’) in the early 80s in Manchester. This is not because it sounds like the music of the time but because I spent much time in places like “The Band on The Wall” watching some of the dub reggae and toasting sessions with the sound systems of the time.  The heavy off beat bass line that is distorted in Dub style drifts through the track completely filling the sound,giving the sub woofer a great work out and it wipes out a few cobwebs in the process.

Dropping straight into Coming Down Again, a discordant violin and warped keyboard with Nick (I think) on vocals along with a sitar solo and, again, the east Asian percussion give this a unique feel and a sense of otherworldliness. Which I’m sure is the intention given the title.

Skipping a few tracks on, as I prefer to give a flavour rather than a blow by blow view letting interested parties find something to discover in this delightful album, we come to Circle of Light, which is very much the closest to western song structure and something that I can give potential purchasers a comparator to act as a frame of reference. If you own a copy of ‘Live Herald’ by Steve Hillage then add what he is up to these days with System 7 and then you will be close. I can see a remix of this working fantastically in the likes of Creamfields or, for the older ones among us, Tribal Gathering. It is trancy, danceable and contagious in a good way.

The album closes out with Dub of Stars which, as the advert says, does exactly what it says on the tin. Wide open spacey and full of huge bass and Dub “echoiness”, this is 2.00am crank the volume up bassiness to annoy the neighbours and have a groove to music. I defy anyone not to move to the rhythm of this song as they listen to it.

Now this is not music for the unadventurous, if you are a pastoral classical western music fan with a love of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, middle eight, verse, chorus, and instrumental close mentality, then maybe avoid it but you will miss out on something rather special. Fans of Gong, both the Daevid Allen and Pierre Moerlen versions, Firefly Burning, Steve Hillage, World music, Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush you will get something from this album. Bad Elephant Music is more and more becoming a beacon for quality, whether you like the output or not; there is no argument about that in my eyes. This album has that quality and its rich layered multi-instrumental structure dares to explore places that few are looking. However it remains accessible and not even vaguely in the ‘difficult to listen to’ box.

Released 1st September 2017

Buy ‘My Tricksy Spirit’ from Bad Elephant Music here

 

 

Review – Knifeworld – Bottled Out Of Eden – by Shawn Dudley

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I was unfamiliar with Knifeworld when the advance copy of ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’ arrived in my inbox and, following my usual practice, I decided to just listen to the album prior to researching anything about the band. Going in without any preconceptions is something that’s not always easy to accomplish these days since every release is plastered across social media months in advance. In the case of Knifeworld, a band that joyously throws in elements from a myriad of musical styles it was exactly the correct approach to take. The element of surprise runs throughout ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’.

Opening track High Aflame was an obvious choice for a single. The bouncy, effervescent arrangement is so addictive that it’s practically narcotic. The song begins in a mysterious fashion, a vaguely eastern-tinged drone that vocalist/guitarist Kavus Torabi uses as a pedal point to lay his vocal line over. It creates dramatic tension and heightens the anticipation of the full band entrance.

Knifeworld is a rarity in that they employ an octet format with two altos and a baritone sax creating a “little big band” vibe. This lineup allows them to bring in instrumental colorations that you don’t often hear in modern Prog . The main section of High Aflame is introduced by the horns playing a repeated figure as the band slowly swells in behind them. The groove is rock solid and creates a sense of brisk forward motion; the kind of song you want to hear blasting from the car stereo. Another unique aspect of the arrangement is the dual-lead vocals of Kavus and Melanie Woods, they employ dissonance and a harmonic tension which meld together nicely with the horn charts creating a sense that the band is actually larger than it is.

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Knifeworld is frequently described as psychedelic and, while there is most definitely an element of that in both arrangement and some of the instrumental choices, I think labeling them with that tag underestimates the breadth of influences at play here.

The Germ Inside demonstrates how effortlessly they balance these various elements. The opening piano introduction, and the knotty riff section that follow, are straight out of 70s progressive rock but then the verse section is a bright, swinging 4/4 with a vocal line that is reminiscent of 80s British pop. Just about the time you feel comfortable with where the arrangement is headed it veers off into a bridge that employs borderline atonal vocal harmonies. This dissonance is then transferred to the horn section for the restatement of the opening theme and the ride-out. Not an easy balance to strike, especially in a tight, under 5-minute arrangement.

My favorite track on the album is the impressively complex I Am Lost.  It eschews the relatively concise running time of the other tracks and allows the band to stretch out a little more.  Again the push & pull dynamic between the overt pop-leanings and the underlying experimental nature of the arrangement really enriches the overall flavor.   There is also a fantastic little funky riff that comes in during the outro and I could easily see the band being able to stretch this section out in live performance.

The horn section gets a brief time in the spotlight on Vision Of The Bent Path, a sadly all-too-brief introduction to the primarily instrumental I Must Set Fire To Your Portrait. This is a wonderfully dense, dark and rocking track that really shows off the power this octet can conjure. I’m especially fond of how the baritone sax is layered in with the heavy guitar riff in the outro section.

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While the overall impression of ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’ is relatively bright and sunny there is a dark undercurrent that runs throughout the album, an air of sadness and melancholy.  In the press release Kavus describes the album as “…a celebration of this all too fleeting life, as it is a reflection on death and its impact on those left behind in its wake”. I believe these songs perfectly attain that goal, as humans we’re all too familiar with the need to “laugh to keep from crying”. One of the most impressive examples of this duality is album-closer Feel The Sorcery, the joyous nature of the arrangement contrasts effectively with the sense of grief expressed in the lyrics and that mood seems to carry on even after the song has concluded.

Other highlights are the plaintive acoustic ballad Foul Temple (gorgeous horn chart with bassoon and clarinet), the ominous Lowered Into Necromancy that features a vaguely Zeppelin-esque acoustic guitar riff and the beautifully melancholic A Dream About A Dream.

I have a couple very minor caveats.  I would love to hear the horns get a chance to step forward a little more and maybe take some solos, they are beautifully employed on the album but being a major jazz fan I also kept hoping to hear them really cut loose. Also, while the production is a definite step forward from the prior album ‘The Unraveling’ it’s still a little claustrophobic sounding for my taste, a little boxy. As detailed and expansive as the arrangements are, I think a larger soundstage would have complemented them even further.

As a whole ‘Bottled Out Of Eden’ is an effective and eclectic experience. It’s not going to be an album for everyone as I think some of the more adventurous harmonic elements might be challenging for some listeners. But for those attuned to the more experimental and avant-garde it’s a pop album of rare substance.

Released 22nd April 2016

Pre-order ‘Bottled Out Of Eden from Inside Out