Tag: James R. Turner

Review – Perfect Beings – Vier – by James R Turner

Now, I like listening to bands I have never heard of before, because I like discovering new music, new sounds, and if you review something from a band you have never heard of, I find you are coming to the music from a fresh perspective, not being clouded by opinions of previous records or previous sounds.

I’ve been listening to ‘Vier’ for the past few weeks on my commute to work, headphones on; the sights of Bristol (Clifton Suspension Bridge, Ashton Gate, The Floating Harbour) have all been sound tracked by this, the 3rd album by Perfect Beings.

Based in Los Angeles, the bands consists of Johannes Luley on guitar and bass, Ryan Hurtgen on vocal and piano, Jesse Nason on keyboards and Sean Reinart on drums the band have had a few personnel changes since their last album ‘II’ in 2015.

This latest album is epic in both its scope and it’s performance, being split into 4 symphonic musical parts.

Guedra (18:23) The Golden Arc (16:47) Vibrational (18:17) and Anunnaki (18:42) makes this album their ‘Topographic Oceans’ a rather expansive symphonic CD or, in old money, a double vinyl set (with each side being a song suite, just how the traditionalists like it!)

After losing their original bassist Luley stepped up to the mark contributing both bass and guitar to this album, which will make it interesting if they ever do tour it, as, whilst he is one of the most interesting guitarists working currently (comparable to a Luke Machin or a Matt Stevens), he’ll need to be an octopus to recreate the intricate guitar and bass sounds on here.

There is a lot for music fans to admire on this record from the lush multilayered harmonies that open the record with A New Pyramid, to the sort of instrumental prowess that runs throughout the record.

Luley’s sound has grown and matured, with elements from his two solo albums finding their way into the compositional melting pot here, which stretches and pushes the Perfect Beings’ sound out of bog standard prog territory and into something that bounces gleefully through time signatures, across genres, through the past 50 years of prog and even through the different movements of the record as themes from previous songs appear in the closing suite of Annuki.

The rest of the band seem just as energised as they diffuse the spirit of classical prog sounds through their own musical filter as the sounds of Guedra lead you into The Golden Arc, which is a more symphonic piece of work, with the piano, keyboards and guitar building up, this is not something that is in your face and immediate, these 4 differing musical facets of the band are like a musical game of pass the parcel.

Every time the music stops and you press play to resume the album, another layer is revealed until slowly you get the musical present that is ‘Vier’.

Hurtgen has a unique vocal sound, and use of multilayering and certain effects again remind in places of the style of Jon Anderson and early Yes, whilst some of the song titles have dropped straight out of the I-spy book of prog, things like A New Pyramid or The Blue Lake of Understanding are much better songs than their titles would suggest, whilst The Persimmon Tree on title alone brings to mind a local newspaper headline about house builders and a protected woodland, and yet it’s a rather good song on the album. In fact the shorter songs on here work just as well (if not better) than some of the longer ones, and in the way of song cycles I like the fact that snippets of riffs and musical themes echo across the album, creating a coherent whole. The closing Everything’s Falling Apart is a superbly crisp almost pop song, with some sublime lyrics and musical performances.

Hurtgen’s work on keyboards mixes perfectly with the sound of Luley’s guitar and Nason’s keyboards swathe the album with superb sonic textures and beautiful musical moments, more Rick Wright than Wakeman, his musical skills add to the sound and are a part of the bigger picture.

In fact that’s one thing that stands out about this album, when you have a band like Yes or Emerson, Lake and Palmer, for instance, filled with egos bigger than their talents, you do end up with songs that are nothing more than a glorified solo to pacify and massage those egos. This is one of those albums that are the total opposite, there are some amazing musical sections but on this album the magic happens because the entire band are there pulling together, on the same page, and whilst these are mighty musical talents all the egos are left at the studio door.

There is a lot to like about this album, and there is also a lot of album here for you to like, and the band suggest you turn off and immerse yourself in this record, which is a great thing to do with headphones and a long commute.

A lot of other people have been raving about this record and already proclaiming it album of the year. Now that’s a bold statement to make in January, and yes, there is so much to like and admire about this record, from it’s immersive production to the astounding musical ability on display here, but calling it album of the year is as premature as calling January the best month of 2018. It’s a fascinating and interesting listen with plenty going on musically, and lots of themes that prog fans will love. However to me this is not an album to love, more one to admire. For it’s musical ambition, it’s scope and it’s depth.

Released 19th January 2018

Order ‘Vier’ direct from the band:

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Review – The Strawbs – The Ferryman’s Curse – by James R. Turner

If, like me in the early 90’s, all you knew about the Strawbs was the Hudson-Ford penned hit Part of the Union, upon discovering the album ‘Hero & Heroine’ in my parents record collector, it was hard to believe it was the same band, my love for the Strawbs grew as their albums were finally remastered and reissued (with some gems like ‘Deadlines’ being picked up at a Record Fair around 1994 on the original vinyl) and their transition from folk to rock (being placed in the prog bracket) a far more dramatic metamorphosis than that of Fairport Convention (who ironically went the other way, from psychedelic proto prog to the folk rock pioneers we know and love) with David Cousins unique vocals and lyrics, and Dave Lambert on electric guitar, and band members like Rick Wakeman, John Hawken, Blue Weaver, Chas Cronk and Tony Fernandez passing through the ranks in the 1970’s, they were a who’s who of top quality players. Through their reunions throughout the 80’s, their acoustic Strawbs and return of the full Electric band, and resurgence with albums like ‘Deja Fou’,  ‘The Broken Hearted Bride’, as well as classic live albums and archive releases, the bands legacy is assured. If you ever catch them live both the full electric, and acoustic trio are musicians at the top of their game, putting together some fantastic shows.

Now 8 years after their last studio album ‘Dancing to the Devils Beat’, the Strawbs return with what is probably their finest record since their golden period of the 1970’s. Produced by the legendary Chris Tsangarides (who sadly died in January) and with the core line up of David Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk (three of the five members who recorded the classic albums ‘Hero and Heroine’ and ‘Ghosts’) and long term drummer Tony Fernandez are joined by  ‘new boy’ multi-instrumentalist Dave Bainbridge (currently touring in Lifesigns with former Strawbs keyboard player John Young – it’s such a small world isn’t it?), and whose work with Iona nicely dovetails with the original folk rock orientated sound of the Strawbs, and he fits perfectly in here, contributing considerably to the sound (on both guitar and keyboards) and songwriting with a writing credit on 5 of the 10 tracks on here.

Opening with the hauntingly wonderful symphonic In the Beginning, which segues nicely into The Nails from the Hands of Christ, where David Cousins is a lyrically sharp as ever and a subtle nod to older songs like the Man Who Called Himself Jesus.

In fact the band references themselves even more on the epic title track, a sequel to the equally magnificent The Vision of the Lady of the Lake from 1970’s ‘Dragonfly’ album.

It is of course one of the finest songs the Strawbs have done for many a year, echoing the original and rounding off the story superbly.

However that doesn’t mean that the band are merely relying on old glories and lazily retreading the past, that is absolutely not the case, as the classic Strawbs sound is there, along with the unmistakable vocals of David Cousins, but this is a contemporary Strawbs album. Musically the band are as tight as they have ever been, and Dave Bainbridge sounds like he’s been in the band forever, his keyboard work opening up the beautiful When the Spirit Moves has to be heard to be believed, whilst Dave Lambert’s caustically brilliantly bluesy The Ten Commandments shows he’s lost none of his edge either.

In fact the guitar work throughout this album is stunning, from the beautiful solos on The Familiarity of Old Lovers (with it’s lyrical twist being a contemporary classic piece of Cousins wordsmithery) to the closing We Have The Power, this is a band on top form.

With superb instrumentals like The Reckoning that leads into The Ferryman’s Curse, there is so much to love about this record. From the vocal contrasts between Cousins, whose voice is nicely maturing, Cronk and Lambert, a Strawbs trademark if ever there was one, to the sharpness of Cousins lyrics, showing the wit, the bite and the observation of human nature is still there, right through to the fact that this is a band who, despite being around in one form or another for over 50 years, are not going down the easy route of playing the nostalgia circuit.

The material on this album will more than fit into a set that showcases the best of the Strawbs, and proves that they still have plenty to say, plenty to play and on this album show bands that are much younger than them, how it is done.

Released 3rd November 2017

Order from Cherry Red:

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/the-ferrymans-curse/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8djP47LWPQ

Reviews – Rob Gould – More Huru For Your Guru and The Sad Robot Declared Peace With Himself – by James R Turner

Many moons ago one of the bands I used to se on semi-regular basis playing at a rundown old Leisure Centre in Rotherham that had long seen better days (like pretty much of all of Rotherham at the time tbh) were Fula, a Buxton based prog rock band, and one of the founder members and driving forces behind the band was multi-instrumentalist and song writer Rob Gould, who would conduct proceedings from his behind his rack of keyboards on stage, as well as joining Brazilian band Ashtar on keyboards.

Since Fula have been on an indefinite hiatus, Rob has continued to plough his own furrow, a one man Peak District Psych composer, putting out ambient electronic albums, inspired by the caves in which he works, as well as more rock and song based audio albums like his last full length album the critically acclaimed ‘The Broken Road’.

Now he’s got two albums out for our delight, and they both are as different from each other as is possible to get, reflecting the many sides to Robs musical personalities.

I will start with the first one of the collection, the wonderfully titled ‘More Huru for Your Guru’, with it’s startling psychedelic cover (great hat Rob). It collects together 10 tracks of cover versions that Rob recorded between 2014 and 2017 for the Fruits de Mer label, and shows where Rob’s influences lie.

From two fantastic interpretations of David Bowie songs, a brilliantly haunting version of We Are the Dead, which takes the tension and power of the original and makes it more sinister in Robs skilful reworking, and the fantastic Sense of Doubt from Bowies “Heroes” album, where Rob shows his musical chops off in fine style. Kudos also has to go to Rob for having the balls to cover A Saucerful of Secrets, in it’s entirety, I have no idea whether Rob is crazy or inspired to take this Floyd song (that to many is one of those Marmite tracks) and reconfigure it and make a bloody good job of it, but either way, the only time I have seen anyone attempt this was again at that Rotherham leisure centre where a Floyd ’67-’69 only covers band called Ummagumma gave it a go.

I was also pleasantly surprised to hear on this album the cover version of The Purple Gang’s Granny Takes a Trip, I thought I was one of the only people in the world who have love for The Purple Gang, and Robs version is a perfect homage to the original whilst making it work in his own style.

With guests of the likes of Hawkwind’s Mr Dibs (who provides vocals on Robs trippy version of the Beatles’ Tomorrow never Knows) Fula’s Nigel Moss on bass on Saucerful amongst others, Rob has assembled an excellent ensemble that help him filter others songs and turn them into his own.

A covers album is always a difficult thing to try and perfect and here Rob manages the balancing act of staying true to the songs, whilst putting plenty of himself in there to stamp his personality on them and not just make a straight forward ‘boy-band’ retread. Extra points go, as always to anyone who covers Pink Floyd and doesn’t pick Comfortably Numb. This is a fantastic album, full of fun, great songs and shows Rob really enjoying himself doing something slightly different to what we’ve known him do before.

‘The Sad Robot Declared Peace with Himself’, is one of Rob’s companion piece albums, and this time it forms a companion to ‘The Broken Road’, containing, as it does, variations on themes of songs recorded for the album, and indeed music recorded at the time and not included, this follows previous companion albums like ‘Black Holes and Empty Spaces’ and ‘An Ocean in a Drop’.

It is a fantastic companion to ‘The Broken Road’, opening with an extended version of Daybreak in the Graveyard of the Sentient Robots, one of the standout tracks from that album, here, in all its’ glory, Rob gives it room to breathe and grow, its soundscapes immersive and complex, pulling you in and washing over you in waves of ambient electronica.

This is Rob back in his electronica territory, a whole world removed from being a Guru, this is him pulling soundscapes together, allowing his ambient and electronic ethos to run through the record. From Starmaker? The Broken Road revisited, which refines and returns to themes on the original album, to the longest track on here The Last Hurrah, which ebbs and flows between almost krautrock minimalism and stunning piano composition, this is where Tangerine Dream, Jean Michel Jarre and Michael Oldfield meet, on some windswept moor in the North of England.

The vast open spaces are evoked gloriously here, Rob is at his compositional finest, and like all the best soundscapes the music here has room to build and grow, the waves filling the room, and the underlying shimmering synths and recurring piano motifs layering and building to a shimmering climax, where the understated beauty of the unaccompanied piano work has a neo-classical edge to it, with tinges of melancholy and beauty fades into a pulsating, pounding electronica musical climax, all Radiophonic synths and minimalist beats, there is a certain thrill to be had as the repetition builds and changes to a driving insistent climax.

The sleeve notes state that these were all pieces completed around the time of ‘The Broken Road’ (which for my money is Rob’s finest solo album) between 2008 and 2013. All apart from The Fireclown, which was originally recorded back in 1990 and re-arranged here and has that almost dance edge to it, darker edgier musical stabs combined with half spoken lyrics, brings to my mind anyway Pulp circa ‘Separations’, and is a brilliant way to end this collection.

Instead of seeing this as a companion album, see this more as the ‘bonus disc’, the bits that fit in-between the spaces, and the songs that didn’t quite get away.

As such it works perfectly, and these two vastly different but both suitably interesting albums, that really show Rob Gould’s multi-faceted talents, and remind us (if we needed reminding) of how consistent and interesting a musician he is. Highly recommended.

Both albums released in 2017.

Order ”The Sad Robot Declared Peace With Himself’ from Rob’s website and receive ‘More Huru For Your Guru’ free here

 

Review – Verity White – Breaking Out – by James R Turner

That Clive Nolan chappie, not only being an integral part of Pendragon, founder member of Arena as well as driving force behind lots of different musical projects over the years, he also knows his onions when it comes to find new talents. When he branched out into his musical theatre company he brought his knack for a tune and talent for bringing on new voices to the stage with him.

Verity is one such talent, you might have seen her performances in several of Clive’s Caamora project productions including ‘Alchemy’ (which is where I first saw and met Verity at a CRS awards night several years ago) and she is one hell of a vocalist. If you missed her on those performances then you will have seen her with Pendragon on their ‘Masquerade Overture’ 20th anniversary tour (as an aside that makes me feel old, I remember when ‘Masquerade Overture’ was brand spanking new) where she fitted in like she’d always been there.

Now, as the title of her debut solo album indicates, Verity is ‘Breaking Out’, and blimey she does it in style.

Following on from a few teaser singles last year, ‘Breaking Out‘ see’s Verity stepping from under the wings of her mentors and putting herself firmly in the spotlight.

As a performer and vocalist Verity is not backwards in coming forwards, and this album is chock full of full on rock songs that demonstrate her voice and range in style, and nothing here feels forced or fake, with her husband Alex on guitar and production duties this is a real family affair, and, as I’ve said before and will say again, couples that play together have a connection far deeper than ordinary bandmates, as they connect on both an emotional and musical level. This for me adds far more to the music as it brings something more out into, and this gives the album a lot of soul and power, and Alex is also one hell of a guitarist.

The 10 tracks on here are all fantastically written and produced, and are designed to showcase the power and versatility of Veritys vocals, from her full on rock power on tracks like the raucous I Don’t Care, about a lairy mad night out (I somehow get the feeling from this track that verity would a: Drink you under the table and b: end up dancing on said table at the end of the night) whilst the opening title track is a tour de force in putting her vocals centre stage, and sets the tempo for the rest of the album with it’s blues riffs, funky piano break and soulful vocals.

Zeros and Ones has some great synth work and a softer vocal approach from Verity, Demons In Your Head is an emotionally honestly charged song about struggles with mental health and again there’s softer vocals on the reflective and introspective See Through with more emotionally honest lyrics. These songs show that Verity has a lot of heart and soul and wears both on her sleeve.

More of those sublime synths drive Face It and it shimmers and has another of those amazing guitar hooks that are scattered over this album like rice at a wedding and with its sheen and funk could strut it’s way onto any radio play list. This is a fantastic driving album, stereo on loud, open road and an excellent soundtrack. Exhale mixes the ethereal with the rocky side as Verity puts her voice through it’s paces, it’s dynamic range and power makes this performance a tour de force and reaffirms that she is at the top of her game, & arguably one of the female vocalists of her generation.

Slow Fall is a great piano driven rocker with some great musical interplay and more of Verity’s wonderful vocals. The whole album covers the human experience perfectly and is full of radio friendly rock songs. The music on here is all sublimely produced and performed and there are some wonderful musical moments on here that get the toes tapping from start to finish.

Verity White is someone who has added so much as a vocalist and performer within any ensemble that she has performed with, and on this confident debut full of charm and power she juxtaposes real rock swagger with emotional vulnerability and proves that she is a star in her own right.

‘Breaking Out’ is an apt title, as this see’s Verity stamping her mark all over the music scene and showing that she is a name to watch.

This is an essential album and one hell of a debut. I can’t wait to catch Verity on tour in January.

BREAKING OUT TOUR

  • January 11th – The Castle Hotel, Manchester – tickets 
  • January 12th – Fiddler’s Elbow, Camden, London – tickets
  • January 14th – Gwdihw Cafe Bar, Cardiff – tickets
  • January 18th – Mr Wolfs, Bristol​ – tickets

Released 3rd November 2017

Order ‘Breaking Out’ from bandcamp here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp_Jvg9bd0k

 

 

Review – Arc of Triumph – s/t – by James R Turner

Facebook, it’s a funny little place isn’t it? A microcosm of the real world where everything is amplified and friendly joking can be taken too far where people misread the signals, and where braggadocio and one-upmanship seems to be the preferred method of conversation. Like so much other social media including Twitter, certain parts of it seem to be an endless stream of vitriol and anger, directed at others who are different, people you disagree with, people who aren’t ‘you’.

This is where Arc of Triumph come in, I was connected to the band (Simon Elvin and Rory Holl) through someone posting about reviewing the album on a friends timeline, and you guys know me, if there’s something new and exciting out there, and I can get to listen to new music and help a friend of a friend out, then hell I will do my best.

Which is how this duo’s debut album appeared in my inbox, and on my iPod (other media devices are available) and how it came to be one of my albums of 2017.

This record could probably not have been written and created at any other point in human history, where you have the alleged leader of the free world tweeting about the North Korean leader, less diplomacy and more like a little kid throwing stones.

You have the omnishambles that is the zombie Government of the UK trying to negotiate the worst possible deal on Britain’s exit from the European Union, frankly they couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery, and you have the threat of ISIS, global warming, the lack of any global leader to come to any consensus for anything, and a resurgent Russia and China.

These my friends are what we call, interesting times.

Arc of Triumph, an ironic metaphor rather than a glory seeking name, take this rich and unstable tapestry and weave it into a rich and intelligent album all about the end of empires and collapse of great civilisations. After all, no civilisation knows it’s at the end of its reign until after the event.

These 10 tracks run the whole gamut from devious politicians to collapsing empires, and it’s a testament to the bands strength of vision that the whole concept hangs together brilliantly, and the album flows with style and grace.

Starting with the dynamic and great Brick and Brick, they lay put their stall with some funky guitar work, fab old school synth sounds and mature intelligent lyrics.

This is the combination of album as story, history lesson and grand concept, after all those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat.

Pulling off a trick that has been utilised by artists like the Beautiful South, Elvin & Holl pull of the juxtaposition of darker lyrics with a more upbeat sound, creating angular, spiky post rock sounds that fans of bands like Franz Ferdinand would find much to love.

This isn’t their only musical skill though, and to imply so would be doing the band a disservice. Unlike some of the more preachy end of music where certain more earnest songwriters treat their audience like children, there is no grand sermon style songs on here, no patronisation and by treating the audience as the intelligent adults that they are, Arc of Triumph manage to get the message across using the music and the lyrics and no trickery.

Tracks like the brilliant My Town; evoking the images of fallen Egyptian Empires in their Pyramids and monuments to their ego, punches it’s evocation of arrogance and pride out with some driving guitar work and powerfully written music.

In contrast I’ll be Your Eyes pulls together everything that is wrong about the public being brainwashed by charismatic right wing leaders, who pull on some Daily Mail esque image of ‘wanting the country back’. It’s uncomfortable listening, as is probably the aim, due to the words of the lyrics repeated across the many platforms from twitter to Facebook to the front pages of newspapers, ‘pull up the drawbridge and pull down the blinds’. Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable, and there are no holds barred here, similar to last years ‘We’re all in this Together’ by IT, in the words of a former American statesman, it’s an inconvenient truth. But one we all need to hear.

Songs like Take it All With Us and Birthright deal with the ideals of greed and believing people can have anything they like, the sense of entitlement that pervades so much of society, and the constant drive for more that is ripping the planet apart underneath us.

With a broad musical palette to work from, these songs cross genres and become a fantastic musical melting pot of rock, folk, post rock, angular indie guitar mixing with lovely vocal harmonies, elements of folk rock and some genuinely prog keyboard sounds, which is beguiling, charming and utterly confident in it’s own sound and style.

The album, despite the dark message that runs throughout, particularly on the closing duo of This is What Will Happen, with it’s pop noir elements and dark Poe-esque imagery, evoking the Raven, and an almost Wishbone Ash ‘Argus’ era guitar sound, that features some sublime violin, the dark folk element of this brings the track to life and it’s repetitive beat and drive is almost tribal in nature. The closing Darker Shadows, at 7 minutes the longest track on the album, has some really magnificent mood music, powerful electronic sounds, pounding drums and some astonishing vocals.

This album is one that is definitely a grower; listening on my headphones you slowly absorb the atmosphere, the musical nuances, the intelligent vocals, and the passion. My goodness this album drips with passion and emotion. Considering this is a debut this walks all over new albums released in 2017 by bands who’ve been at it a lot longer and obviously aren’t as hungry or fired up as this dynamic duo. It is fresher, sharper, clearer of purpose and full of charm and depth.

Arc of Triumph have produced a triumphant musical arc, and one that I keep returning to again and again. Don’t let this gem slip under your radar. Your ears will never forgive you.

Released 16th October 2017

Buy ‘Arc of Triumph’ from bandcamp here

 

Review – Moonparticle – Hurricane Esmerelda – by James R Turner

Already well known as a talented guitarist, Niko Tsonev profile was raised by stepping up and becoming the touring guitarist and member of John Young’s Lifesigns project, and whilst his guitar was missing from their debut album he toured with them from 2013 – 2016 becoming an integral part of the bands sound, and appearing on their successfully crowd funded live CD/DVD package ‘Under the Bridge’, and guests on their second release ‘Cardington’.

Stepping away from the Lifesigns, Niko has thrown himself into his latest project Moonparticle, and as a guitarist and performer of his calibre he could pretty much pick and choose who he works with, this means the band is full of talent like Craig Blundell on drums, Theo Travis on flute, Adam Holtzman on keys and Grog Lisee adding the female touch with her superb vocals.

The pedigree in this band suggests that what you’re about to listen to is going to be something special, and the huge bandwidth of genres that they span means that musically you’re going to be in for a treat.

In lesser musicians hands this eclectic mix of genres and styles would fall apart, and be a bit over complicated and cluttered, luckily we are listening to masters of their game, and you can tell they have enjoyed working on this album, as the musical ideas crackle with the sort of electricity that comes from bands just clicking.

Niko is definitely one of the finest guitarist plying his trade currently, and it’s no surprise that on tracks like Hurricane Esmerelda or Helium 1 & Helium II his guitar is at the fore, and it’s amazing how he can move from rocking out to pulling some fine melodic sounds out of the guitar.

Again, anyone who saw Lifesigns would know how important he was to the live sound and the stage presence he had.

You then get tracks like the sublime Strength of a Thousand Year Rose, an absolute epic rock ballad for want of a better word, where Grog’s amazing vocals come to the fore, and the solos that Niko pulls off throughout are the most melodically restrained, you can tell he is holding back and the restrain and power shines through.

There are quirky song titles that draw you in, and I do wonder in calling one track Reverend Mum whether one of the band is a fan of Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins books, throughout this track there is some lovely fluid guitar work, Blundells percussive work is on point as ever, and the way the guitar, percussion and subtle keyboard sounds work here are fantastic, ebbing flowing and building to a wonderfully euphoric finale.

This is also the second prog(ish) record to feature a track called Winter Mountain, and it’s about as far removed from the Mostly Autumn track as is possible to get, this one brimming with power and warmth.

Adam Holtzman and Theo Travis are sublime throughout, which is to be expected, and what is wonderful with this album is that whilst the guitar sound is at the fore, there is no hogging of the limelight, each artist gets room to breathe and the way they meld their sound is a joy to behold, all the while pulled together by the rock steady beat of Craig Blundell (who has been doing a sterling job with Lonely Robot recently) the haunting guitar and keys sound on the closer Leon’s Experiment, with some great crunchy riffs and powerful drumbeat, pulls this mightily accomplished album to a close.

Blending sublime instrumental work with some superb songs, and a cracking vocalist, Moonparticle have surpassed themselves and created what I reckon is the debut album of the year. A wonderful blend of genre hopping musical light and shade, heavy when it needs to be, chock full of tunes and serious musical talents at work, with vocals to die for. This is how to do a debut album and it shows to anyone who hasn’t realised yet, just how mighty a talent Niko Tsonev is.

Released 20th January 2018

Order ‘Hurricane Esmerelda’ from bandcamp on CD, digital and vinyl

 

Review – Looking Glass Lantern – Candlelight and Empire – by James R. Turner

A few years ago when I plied my trade for an alternative online prog magazine (not that they were alternative, just it was a different one that isn’t this one…. anyway…) I reviewed in fairly quick succession the debut and second album by Looking Glass Lantern, ‘A Tapestry of Tales’ & ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, both based upon Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories.

Both albums were the creation of multi-instrumentalist and composer Professor Graham Dunnington, and when you get the press release through for this new album, one that’s been 3 years in the making, and see that one of the quotes come from your review, ‘A superb fusion of Victoriana and prog. Almost a new genre in fact, can I get away with calling it Steamprog?’  You do feel quite chuffed to have accidentally created another genre (prior to me christening Rushdenbeat, and coining the term Britprog back in the mid 90’s) and get quoted in the press release.

Anyway it’s not all about me, it’s all about the music, and Looking Glass Lantern present their third album, and for the first time it is an original story.

Written and performed again by Graham Dunnington, it is also the first time he has released his records on CD, and so you get the full story in the lyrics and the sleeve notes, and the subtly understated artwork, all of which brings the narrative to life.

The previous albums (being based on literary works) had an obvious narrative drive of which the focus was just as much, if not more so on the words than the music, allowing the lyrics to shape and drive the album, and as this is a style that suits Dunningtons compositional skills, this album follows suit.

I mentioned in my previous reviews that this particular style could be compared with the Alan Parsons Project, and on this particular record Dunnington is stepping away from those comparisons. Of course it’s concept driven, there’s huge elements of traditional prog and narrative driven songs in it, and as a consequence, yes it’s going to be linked to that sub genre of prog. It’s not a bad thing; I have always loved an album that tells a story as long as the stories good, and this is a belter.

Professor Dunnington is fascinated with all things Victorian, and this drills down to the minutiae of an average Victorian household in the 1890’s.

Split into two parts, Part One is a series of interconnected songs that introduce us to the world of the servants who look after the family, thus we are treated to the quartet of songs, which do exactly as they say on the tin, The Maid, The Girl Nobody Knows (which gives us more insight into the life of the maid), The Cook, and The Governess and the Children. Those familiar with period dramas like Upstairs, Downstairs, House of Eliot, Downton Abbey and their ilk, are probably already familiar with the life ‘below stairs’ and in a nice introductory paragraph at the start of the booklet, there is a clever link to the occupants of the house today, with their own live in help the ‘au pair’ who, in these modern days of cost cutting does the job of three people, being cook/Maid and Governess.

Like the Looking Glass Lantern’s previous albums, based on Sherlock Holmes novels, there is as much emphasis placed on the lyrics as the music, and the album is as much a vehicle for the narrative as the music, and whilst it may seem a tad wordy at times, the strength of the music carries it through, and the skill of Dunnington’s composition skills helps pull both the story and music together.

There are some sublime instrumental moments on this album, the guitar work on The Governess and the Children for instance, whilst the vibe throughout is of a mellower vein. If you’re looking for something on the heavy end you’re in the wrong place.

This mixes Victoriana, narrative driven prog and instrumental dexterity that weaves in elements of rock and folk.

Being a versatile multi-instrumentalist Dunnington pulls some superb keyboard work out on The Angel of the Home, the track introducing the Mother to the story, whilst the final track of part 1, The Husband, neatly collects all the characters into one place.

Part 2, is what’s known as ‘the long track’ and if part 1 was the prologue, part 2 is the story proper.

A traditional tale of a middle class Victorian dinner party, with the hosts, the Husbands business partner and his wife, and the local Vicar.

A cast that normally sounds like a typical Ray Cooney/Brian Rix farce, however this is far from farcical, as all the modern (for the day) topics are digested, along with the meal, with discourse about politics, the Empire, the monarchy and all other topics of the day.

This is rounded off by a closing reprise of the opener the Maid, who is closing the house down, just like she opened it up, and closes the album with a nice flourish.

This is very much traditional story telling prog at it’s finest, and whilst it might not be everyone’s cup of earl Gray served up in a nice china mug, it fits nicely into that niche created by artists like The Alan Parsons Project, Rick Wakeman (during his big concept phase) and other artists like Gandalf’s Fist, who can take the narrative concept and turn it into a coherent musical whole.

If you enjoyed the first two albums this is a worthy return from the Looking Glass Lantern, if you’ve never heard them before, then it’s a great place to start.

Review – Godsticks – Faced With Rage – by James R. Turner

Here’s a bit of that old serendipity doo dah that we often talk about. A few months ago at the behest of Good King Martin of Progradarshire I ventured forth on a cold wet Bristol Sunday evening to see Gavin Harrison and Bruce Soord steal pineapples in a German themed drinking den (which I’m reliably informed is larger than the feast) in the ensuing review which I am sure Martin will cleverly link to here, I discovered Godsticks for the first time.

(Read James’ review of the gig here…)

Live Review – The Pineapple Thief (featuring Gavin Harrison) and Godsticks at Bristol Bierkeller – by James R Turner

My definition of a great support band is one where you enjoy the set so much you want to buy the album, I have discovered bands like Tilt and Jemima Surrender amongst others like this, and the only regret at the Godsticks gig was the fact that their set was heavily dependant on their next album ‘Faced With Rage’, which hadn’t been released yet.

Well, the good news for all you Godsticks fans, and all those who enjoyed their sets on the recent Pineapple Thief tours is that it’s now out, and I have been listening to it all week on my commute in, good job really, otherwise this would be a terribly pointless review (what’s new? Ed.).

Bit of history, Godsticks were formed in Cardiff back in 2008 the band has Darran Charles at the front, his guitar sound and vocals are an intrinsic part of Godsticks (and his work as touring guitarist for the Pineapple Thief also showcased his versatility) and he is ably accompanied by guitarist Gavin Bushell, bassist Dan Nelson and ‘new boy’ – drummer Tom Price.

Live, Godsticks are a mixture of power, aggression and melody, and the new material they played sounded like it had been part of the set forever.

On record there is obviously a more subtle dynamic at work, and it is refreshing to hear a four piece traditional style guitar band sounding on record like they do on stage, there is no technical malarkey tampering with the songs, these are songs designed to be played full tilt in the context of a concert, and the fact that they work so well in both arenas is a testament to the writing and production.

This is the bands 4th album, and they weren’t a band I had ever heard of prior to seeing them rip the stage up on tour with the Pineapple Thief, and I’ll hold my hands up here and state I had seen them described as prog metal, which to this listener is a bit of a turn off. A lot of the new prog metal stuff is just loud music that goes on too long.

I would not describe Godsticks as prog metal, they have the knack for writing a catchy tune, they have a dynamic twin guitar sound that propels the music forward, and they are probably at the heaviest end of the music that would appeal to me, but prog metal? No.

In layman’s terms Godsticks Rock! They have an impressive musical armoury, and certainly live having an extra guitarist to do some of the heavy lifting allows Charles to be the front man he so obviously is. His exceptional vocal range and guitar playing, in tandem with Gavin Bushells guitar work, is one of the many highlights of this album, and tracks that they powered through live, like Open Your Eyes or Guilt are superb examples of the finest hard rock sounds, whilst on longer pieces like the excellent Everdrive, this is the sound of a band pushing themselves and moving forwards.

Godsticks live are an energetic and impressive prospect, on record they reinforce that opinion and to their credit have created an album that wholly reflects who they are as musicians, with what sounds to me like no compromises.

Based on the live show I saw I was expecting to enjoy this record, having heard it, I absolutely love it, and it has snuck in under the radar at the end of the year as what could be one of the top ten albums of 2017.

Released 13th October 2017

Buy ‘Faced With Rage’ from Burning Shed here…

 

Review – Agusa s/t by James R. Turner

Some of my favourite albums are ‘Full House’ by Fairport Convention, ‘Ten Man Mop, Or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides Again’ by Steeleye Span, ‘Morris On’, ‘No Roses’ by Shirley Collins and the Albion Country Band and ‘The Bones of All Men’ by Richard Thompson, Phillip Pickett and The Fairport Rhythm Section.

See it’s most definitely not all about the prog, and why do these albums draw me in? It’s because they straddle a wonderfully eccentric line, they walk the tightrope between the traditional music of different era’s and the great big electric beastie that is rock music, taking tunes that would normally be played acoustically and amplifying them up, and let’s face it some of the music is pretty far out there before you start adding electric guitars and drums and bass.

This is where Agusa come in, another album Lord Martin of Progradar Towers reckoned would be right up my alley, over it came, and me, never having even heard of the band before, thought you know what, let’s have a listen and see what I reckon.

If you want a quintet of musically talented Swedes jamming together, mixing early Pink Floyd, traditional music and some highly complex and layered instrumental music, with the flute sound reminiscent of 70’s Tull filtering through it, then my friends you are in the right place.

Formed back in 2013 by Mikael Odesjo (guitar) and Tobias Petterson (bass) the band has grown organically to include Jonas Berge on keyboards, Tim Wallander on drums and percussion and Jenny Puertas on flute.

These five tracks here are a heady psychedelic musical brew as on tracks like Sorgenfri (at 5 minutes the shortest track on here) the duetting between Puertas flute, Berge’s amazing Hammond sound and the guitar of Odesjo sound like a collision between late 60’s Deep Purple and late 60’s Tull, with an absolute driving beat powered by Wallander and Petterson, the momentum builds and builds leaving you with a great big daft grin on your face, all built up round tunes and melodies that sound vaguely traditional in feel.

This is Agusa’s strength; all the tunes and melodies on this album are imminently hummable and are performed with the right balance of subtlety and power, and there is so much going here that you hear new bits every time you listen.

I am, and always will be, a sucker for mixing traditional sounds with electrical rock bands (hence my love of orchestral rock like ELO, Deep Purple’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra, Mike Oldfield amongst many others) and the way that the flute is the substitute for the voice here is sublime.

Den Förtrollade skogen (the enchanted forest – according to translate) is all Elizabethan in intent with the flute and sounds that push the flute to the fore, whilst Wallander and Petterson get to show their chops off with some incredibly funky breaks, and another amazing solo from Berge on keyboards.

This album is chock full of wonderful musical moments like this, and put an absolute smile on the face.

With two tracks here (Landet Längesen & Bortom hemom) clocking in at over 10 minutes long, these are where the band really stretch out and pull all their influences together, and it is a testament to their skill and power that this album is an absolute delight to listen to.

Jenny Puertas on the flute is a star throughout, the sound weaving and soaring throughout, pushing the tunes on where needed, pulling back when it’s time for Jonas Berge to play some of his lovely wonderfully jazzy blues riffs on his delightfully retro Hammond sound. There is no finer sound than a Hammond in full flow, and there is plenty to delight fans of that sound here, there’s a touch of the Jon Lords or Graham Bonds about the sound, and it’s that wonderful melting pot of blues, rock, jazz and everything else that adds so much to this album, and pushes it out of traditional genre boundaries.

The soaring riffs and singing melodies of Mikael Odesjo’s guitar beautifully compliments the keyboard and flute, and whilst he has his moments it’s interesting to hear how he pulls back to let the flute fly. Of course the back line of Wallander and Petterson are the rocks on which this mighty castle of sound can be built, and the intuition and skill all 5 bring to the table is a masterclass in musical collaboration.

This is an absolute must for anyone who likes the instrumental sound of early Pink Floyd, the playfulness and intricacy of 70’s folk rock and intelligent well-made instrumental music.

It appears that this is Agusa’s third album – looks like I’ve got a back catalogue to go visiting…

Released 13th October 2017

Buy ‘Agusa’ from bandcamp

 

Review – Virgil & Steve Howe – Nexus – by James R. Turner

Nexus: noun 1) a connection or series of connections linking two or more things, 2) a central or focal point.

Now I don’t normally start reviews with quotes from the dictionary, but it seemed apt here to draw the music to the title, thoughts which I shall return to.

I have always been a great believer that those musicians who are flesh and blood, kith and kin have a unique bond that no musician in band can ever emulate.

Siblings like the Everley Brothers, the Wilson brothers from the Beach Boys, and then familial musical units like the mercurial Waterson:Carthy (father Martin Carthy, mother Norma Waterson and daughter Eliza Carthy) or the majestic Thompson family, Richard and former wife Linda at the top with son Teddy, daughters Muna and Kami and grandson Jack Hobbs, not necessarily proof that the families who play together stay together, but proof of an intrinsic knowledge and interplay that is based far more on the gene than the group.

Again heading closer to home, having seen Rick and Adam Wakeman together in action, familial musicians can second guess the other, there’s a shared bond, a shared connection and a lot of soul going into collaborating together, and it reflects in the tightness of the music played, and the enjoyment the listener gets from hearing it.

Sadly on this album, the joy of the playing, and the magic contained within is bittersweet, as most of you will be aware that multi-instrumentalist Virgil Howe sadly passed away on 11th September, so this album stands as full stop instead of a new chapter, a story ending.

This fact does colour the perception of the record sadly, and the overall feeling throughout is one of loss, not from the music, which I’ll come onto later, but the loss of one hell of a talented individual with so much more to contribute. (he was 41 years old, just short of 2 years older than me when he passed away, brings your own mortality into sharp contrast). The Howe family could, in their grief over such a massive loss, sat on this album, and it’s to their credit that they are letting this album out as planned, as a perfect musical tribute to a beloved son, brother and it goes without saying that all of our thoughts are with them during their time of grief.

Virgil Howe first came to my attention back in 2003 when he gave some of the Yes back catalogue an inspired overhaul on the ‘Yes Remixes’ album, which, after ‘Open Your Eyes’ is probably the most divisive Yes release. I thought it was bloody marvellous how he’d taken older songs and put a fresh spin on them with style and without losing any of the original charm.

As a drummer, which is how he plied his trade, he was ever present in Little Barrie and also for the FSOL Amourphous Androgynous tour, working with artists as diverse as his father and the Pet Shop Boys as well as forging as big a reputation as his father, but in a completely different musical sphere.

Here, ‘Nexus’ is the meeting of two musical minds, where Steve Howe lets his guitar doing all the talking (performing on acoustic/electric and steel guitars) and Virgil does everything else (keyboard,piano, synth, bass and drums) in the press release for this record Steve states that “We started to work together in 2016 by selecting about nine tunes from his ‘stockpile’ of piano based music that he’d periodically sent Jan & I each time he’d written and recorded a new idea. I began adding guitars to them, then I’d play them to Virgil. He’d then surprise me by bringing up other channels of instrumentation which I’d never heard. The tunes went from straightforward ‘duets’ to something bigger & better, more of a complete picture than a mere shape.”

This inventive playfulness is at the heart of this record, and being a canny musician and producer Virgil is well aware that when you have Steve Howe playing guitars you don’t mess about.

The opener and title track eases us straight in with some of that instantly recognizable guitar work, before Virgil cleverly builds the song around it, his piano work providing a brilliant counterpoint to the guitar as both soar until all that is stripped away leaving a sublime Howe guitar solo and drum beat, that builds into a shimmering climax.

Hidden Planet flips it on it’s head being all skittering beats, descending piano chords and elements of drum and bass sneaking in, showing Virgil’s background, as amidst the funk he weaves through some astonishing guitar work, that just fits perfectly.

There are examples of both of their musical abilities that shine throughout this album, the haunting piano and guitar duet on Leaving Aurora for instance or the heartbreaking musical poignancy in Nick’s Star (a tribute from Virgil to his best friend Nick Hirsh who had passed away). Astral Plane comes closest to the most traditionally progressive sound on here, an instrumental of the sort that would fit on any Yes album of the last 20 years, whilst Infinite Space is an absolute belter of a song, encapsulating the album into one 2 minute piece.

There isn’t a bad track on this all instrumental album, and what Virgil ever so carefully, and cleverly does, is take the best of his Steves guitar work (which is exemplary here, he is sounding relaxed, sounding powerful and above all, sounding like he is having an absolute blast) whilst doing something ever so slightly different with what you would expect.

This twist moves this away from the traditional prog sound that you would expect from Steve, and into new, and exciting territory.

As a complete record it brings both generations together, pulling Steve’s experience as one of prog’s finest guitarists, and Virgil’s experience as a contemporary rock drummer and skilled DJ into one coherent whole, where the contradictory styles create a well produced and performed musical concept. It’s spans generations, genres and disciplines to create an album that is as timeless as it is genre-less, and that is Virgil’s skill on here, he coaxes the best out of Steve, and then sympathetically and cleverly works round the riffs to create musical duets, taking the guitar lines as living breathing things to be shaped and moulded. Which is why it works so well on so many levels, he’s not taking Steve’s work as sacrosant and not playing with it, however there’s also that familial intuition at work, where he knows instinctively what will work well where, and it shows both of them, world class musicians at the top of their game.

This album could have worked as the start of fruitful and exciting familial collaboration (would have been really interesting to see Virgil, Steve and Dylan Howe working together) but sadly it isn’t to be. Instead this diamond of a release is one to be celebrated and enjoyed as a living breathing record, performed by a Father and Son who sound like they are taking great delight in doing what both of them do best, and that is how we should enjoy it, as a celebration of life, of art and of the power of music to unite us in both sorrow and joy.

Released 17th November 2017

Order ‘Nexus’ from InsideOut Music