Riding the waves of his success with Anathema’s latest album The Optimist, which includes a worldwide headline tour, multiple summer music festivals and an Album of the Year nomination for the 2017 Progressive Music Awards, the band’s driving force, Daniel Cavanagh releases his debut solo album, Monochrome.
Monochrome is a deeply reflective and personal offering, inspired by internal feelings of love and loss, Daniel Cavanagh explains “The album has a late night, candlelit feeling, evoking the light of dusk as the summer sun sinks below the horizon, setting the scene for thoughts and meditations that many people will relate to.”
Elaborating further on the album and songs he continues “A lot of this material could easily have made it on to the last Anathema album or any future album; that’s how highly the band rate it. There are several highlights: ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Silent Flight of the Raven Winged Hours’ are among some of my best works of the last decade. Taking them from the band was not an easy decision but I am glad; they’re so personal as to not need more input.”
Monochrome , whilst written & performed by multi-instrumentalist, Daniel Cavanagh, does feature guest performers – Anneke Van Giersbergen – ex-vocalist for The Gathering, who has since sung with Devin Townsend, Árstíðir, Anathema and Arjen Lucassen appears on 3 songs – “This Music”, “Soho” and “Oceans Of Time”. The album also sees the exceptionally talented Anna Phoebe providing violin on “Soho”, the Poe inspired “The Silent Flight Of The Raven Winged Hours” and “Dawn”. Recorded at Grammy Award-winning Parr Street Studios, engineered by Andrea Wright, mastered by Anathema’s Daniel Cardoso, and with artwork by illustrator Danny Branscombe (https://www.dannybranscombe.com ).
Daniel introduces the first song from the album to be premiered fans “The Exorcist” was considered so good by Anathema that the rest of the band would have made this the centrepiece of an Anathema album, taking it from the band was not an easy decision but I am glad I did!”
Monochrome will be released on CD / LP and digitally with digital pre-orders receiving the track “The Exorcist” as an instant download – pre-order HERE
Anathema are currently on tour in North America in support of their critically acclaimed new studio album The Optimist. The UK & European tour begins on 22nd September in Glasgow and concludes inn Luxembourg on 18th November before they head to Australia for the first show in Brisbane on 6th December.
As most of you will know, I am a love of instrumental music. Be it jazz, progressive, alt-rock, ambient, math-rock or just plain old rock, I am eager to search it out and bring it to the attention of the masses.
The only problem with this is that there is SO much new music out there that it is sometimes like swimming against the tide and I am sure some great releases must pass me agonisingly by. Which is why I am glad that US instrumental artist Josh Kay actually approached me to review his third instrumental offering ‘Absence of Time’.
Before we get onto the music let me introduce Josh to you;
“Josh is an instrumental rock artists currently living in Los Angelese, CA. He has independently released three solo albums and collaborated with many groups over the last fifteen years. ‘Absence of Time’ represents a melding of his enthusiasm for progressive rock and guitar-centric instrumental music, with an emphasis on melody over calculable technique. To further his endeavors, Josh is currently attending Musician’s Institute in Hollywood.”
Beyond The Astral Reflection opens the album on a reflective note. A complex and emotionally intense listening experience with driving guitars layered over powerful drumming as Josh’s dynamically inventive guitar delivers a musically impassioned performance. The music switches between the dynamism and a smoother laid back style and has me intrigued to hear more. Ravine takes a more jazz biased, world music introduction and builds on it to deliver a stand out instrumental track with multi-layered guitars at the centre of this forcefully profound track. Josh holds your attention with his intricate guitar work but never lets this smother the musicality of the song. I’m reminded more of Neal Schon than the likes of Steve Vai or Joe Satriani on this contemplative piece.
Title track Absence Of Time is a darkly complex track with soul and emotion bleeding from every note. The guitar seems even higher in the mix, taking centre stage and demanding your attention. There’s a feel of a proper hard rock song at the core with dense, rocking riffs and a thunderous rhythm section giving it free reign to knock your socks off. Despite this it is still an immersive listen, the technicality adding impressive layers to the melodies within. The wonderfully restrained acoustic guitar and Josh’s wistful guitar playing bring to mind Neal Schon’s solo release ‘Beyond The Thunder’ as the delightful Solace In Sleep gets into its stride. Some elegantly persuasive guitar flourishes provide a great counterpoint on what is becoming my stand out track on the album. There’s music for the soul and music for the mind blended on this refined and stylish track and it emphasises Josh’s desire to showcase the musical harmony over his not inconsiderable technique.
Sometimes a gifted musician just needs to show off and the blistering guitar riffs, runs and motifs that define The Legato Gestapo show a musician at the top of his game with incredible technique and style. Intensely fast-paced and yet chock full of style and finesse, it is a grin inducing guitar-fest where Josh basically lets his hair down and lets rip! Nostalgic, wistful and winsome the uber chilled and laid back Ocean Reveries is the dynamic antithesis of the previous track. A sepia tinged and thoughtful piece of music, style and sophistication ooze from every jazz-tinged note falling from Josh’s cultured guitar. The final piece of this musical puzzle is The Sixth Extinction and this is the most progressive influenced track on the album. Josh explores different musical themes throughout its intriguing seven plus minutes length, the mood swings from the quiet and introspective to the ebullient and irrepressible making it a thoroughly engaging listen. Josh plays at his brilliant, complex and intricate best and it closes out ‘Absense Of Time’ perfectly.
For anyone who likes guitar-centric instrumental music ‘Absence Of Time’ should be on their must-buy list. Never formulaic, it delivers inventive and technically gifted guitar playing with thought provoking melodies to great effect. Josh Kay is a musician who has flown under the radar for too long, when his music is this good, it deserves to be given wider recognition.
I’m not always sure that you should revisit the past, sometimes it isn’t as you remembered it and quite often not in a good way at all. However, in music, going back and remastering an album using modern technology can often add a lot more to the original production (the opposite can also be true but that’s for another time).
‘Gratuitous Flash’ was the first album released by seminal Scottish proggers Abel Ganz and was originally recorded in 1986. After the passing of thirty years the original line-up got back together to remix/remaster the release at South Park Studios in Glasgow. It has been remastered with some additional instrumentation by Hew Montgomery, co-founder of the band and keyboard player until 2007. He is joined, once again, by Hugh Carter (bass, flute & bass pedals), Alan Reed (vocals and Reedotron), Malcolm McNiven (guitars) and Ken Weir (drums and percussion).
The whole mix has been given a very slight clean up but this was kept to a bare minimum.
“You left school at seventeen, you never were the intellectual…”
A song about never growing up and never quite fitting in with your peers at school.
The opening track, Little By Little, gives a huge dose of nostalgia as the keyboard intro sends you rushing back to the 80’s. It’s a song that has an immediate hold on you with the intricate guitar playing and superb keys, the percussion and bass driving the track on. The extended instrumental opening has a really upbeat vibe to it, blending the original music well with the new remastering. When Alan’s vocals begin they are crystal clear and you become engrossed in his lilting tone, seemingly telling you a tale from his youth. It’s like Marillion but with added doses of humour and humility. I never heard the original but this new version doesn’t have me yearning for the past, I’m just thoroughly enjoying what I’m listening to now, including a fiery guitar solo from Malcolm that takes flight with a mind of its own and Hew’s elaborate keyboard playing.
“Have you ever had a day when someone smiled, suddenly you’re feeling much older than today.”
A song about the frustrations of growing old and realising that love is passing you by.
A nicely strummed guitar opens You and Yours and is rapidly joined by the soaring keyboards and superb rhythm section before Alan’s distinctive voice joins in with not a little passion. There’s wistful, almost regretful tone that runs throughout the song and that 80’s neo-progressive sound is as strong as ever, yet brought up-to-date by the considerate remix. Hugh’s elegant bass is particularly outspoken on this track and works well as the metronome in the background. Another fluid and effortless song that has a wistful edge as the story unfolds before you. The polished instrumental sections work exceedingly well within the rest of the track and showcase just what great musicians these guys were (and still are!).
The Scorpion is an instrumental track that was unashamedly inspired for Hew by the playing of Don Airey in his Collosseum II days. it has a particularly grandiose opening before racing off with Hew’s keys and Malcolm’s guitar trading fiery licks and blows along the way. I’m sure Hew should be wearing the archetypal prog-cape as his fingers fly across the keys. Ken’s powerful and quick fire drumming is at the heart of the mix and the whole song has you feeling like you’re on a helter-skelter as Malcolm’s aggressive guitar takes centre stage for a moment. It’s the keys that are the focus of this dynamic and compelling instrumental to my ears though.
“Gets up every morning, at the crack of dawn, fix your working clothes, put your working smile on…”
A song written for someone that Hew worked with years ago whose name was actually Irene Kean and was always happy and enthusiastic about her job.
An emotive piano opens Kean on the Job with some laid back percussion adding to the atmosphere. There’s a whimsical tone to the music as it builds up the song. Alan’s earnest vocal takes up the tale and I’m pretty much engrossed from the first word. The chorus rapidly becomes an addictive earworm that I find myself humming all the time, in fact the whole track stands out on what is becoming a superb album. The tastefully played guitar and classy keyboards add even more gloss to the delightful narrative, all in all a rather excellent song.
“I wrote the song, for the radio, the words reflect the way I feel.”
A song dedicated to a journalist who, in the early eighties when he was a young lad working for a local newspaper, took great delight in making barbed comments about the music of Abel Ganz.
Another energetic and impellant track, title song Gratuitous Flash opens with a charismatic instrumental section with driving guitar, an ebullient rhythm section and compelling keyboards combining with irresistible effect to give a potent feel to the track. As the pace slows Alan’s characterful vocal recounts the details in a measured and distinctive manner, a strong 80’s neo-progressive overtone at its heart, Hew’s swirling keyboards closing out the track in dramatic fashion.
“He was only a boy of six years old, playing kids’ games on a frozen lake. But he ventured too close to the hockey match; that was his only mistake.”
Sometimes there are just some moments that inspire you to write music… and this is definitely one such moment. Inspired by the wonderful saga of Johnny Smith, it’s one of these songs that Hew always felt really satisfied with (although he also felt that there were a few spaces that needed to be filled just a bit, and the remix gave him the chance to do exactly that!).
A genuine epic, coming it at over 16 minutes, The Dead Zone is one of those tracks that has so many facets that just fit together perfectly. Quite a mournful song at times, especially the opening with its serious and ominous mood, it has a definite gravitas and pathos at its core. The sincerity in Alan’s voice is there to be heard and the exemplary musicianship fits the developing mood perfectly. An all encompassing and absorbing musical experience that seems to fill your whole being with its sentiment and poignancy, a piece of music for late night listening with the lights down low and a glass of your favourite tipple in your hand. Even running into sixteen minutes plus, it is such a gripping song that it never outstays its welcome as the music and lyrics absorb you throughout.
Newly added to this 2016 remaster of ‘Gratuitous Flash’ is Alan Reed’s solo reworking of Kean on the Job. Hew says, ” It’s a beautifully laid back way to end this album…” and he is 100% right in that assessment. A deliciously chilled out and easygoing rendition that flows in an undemanding manner. The capricious instrumentation is jazz influenced and it’s a warming and grin inducing way to close out this musical experience.
For those that have the original in their collection there is absolutely no reason not to upgrade to the 2016 version. A considerate and well thought out remix and remaster has brought out even more layers and given it a well deserved new lease of life. For those who have never heard the original then please purchase this modern take on a classic. Neo-prog doesn’t get any better than this with intelligent and humorous songwriting coupled with excellent musicianship to give a listening experience like no other.
I have no qualms in pushing bands that are new to my ears. The plethora of talent around at the moment is wonderful to behold. I don’t wish to detract from the older bands of my youth and still love and listen to the music I grew up with, but more and more I find myself checking out the new kids on the block (no, not the boy band) as they truly represent a progression in the genres. Everything can go in the musical blender and come out in the mix and though not all of it works and won’t appeal to everyone, there should be something you will find to your taste in there.
I personally feel this is the best time since the 70’s for new music and like an addict I devour neoteric tunes and the bands that make them, trying to sate my appetite. Whilst I am time poor, the chance to review some of these releases is an opportunity I relish and, with a couple of exceptions, have been lucky to like most of what I’ve heard.
So it came as a surprise to me when I agreed to review Amarok‘s album ‘Hunt’, that it is their fourth release and I have not heard them before. Mr Hutchinson sent me this after suggesting it could be in the running for album of the year, so high expectations. Essentially a project of the very talented Michal Wojtas, from Kielce in south central Poland, who sings on five of the tracks and plays a number of instruments (guitars, harmonium, keyboards, audio samples, percussions, electronic drums, theremin, low whistle), he also has other invited artists contributing on various tracks. Michal credits Jean Michel Jarre and Mike Oldfield as being particular musical influences on him and their inspiration can also be felt throughout.
Now there is something about Polish artists, the beautiful, melancholic melodies they create resonate with me and some people will find obvious comparisons to another very popular Polish act, but that would be to denigrate the talent here. The further into the album the more the music spreads and occupies different genre spaces. At the heart of the album the lyrics deal with trying to retain our individuality against the social media and powers that be, who try to conform us whilst distorting the truth to their own ends.
After giving this a number of listens I don’t think Michal will remain Anonymousfor long as the throbbing pulse of the first track ushers us into his musical world. Pawel Kowalski plays drums on this and most of the tracks on the album, adding to the rising rhythm, with Marta Wojtas filling the sound further on wavedrum as she does on a number of tracks on this album. I’m already hooked as the track mounts to a crescendo with driving guitars and relaxes again in Michal’s vocals to the close.
The incomparable Mariusz Duda lends his delicious vocals to second trackIdyll, ably backed by Konrad Pajek. I make no apologies for waxing lyrical on the magic Mariusz’s vocals bring to this or any tune, as it builds gently in mouthwatering layers and he gilds it to perfection. Guitars weep with joy and rippling keys sing, growing as a field of colourful blooms, resplendent in their gilding.
The echoing keys of Distorted Soulshaunt us gently, with skittering electronic distortion bouncing between the speakers and staccato drum beats jabbering away under the wistful vocals from Michal Wojtas with an earworm of a chorus. We are then caressed by a wonderful theremin passage midway which serves to accentuate the impactful ending of heart torn guitar strings and keys on what is yet another beautiful track.
We are only three tracks into this and I am sold.
The eerily stunning Two Sides, played mostly on the Duduk (an ancient double-reed woodwind flute made of apricot wood, indigenous to Armenia, for you fact lovers) by the gifted Sebastian Wieladek, blows gently through your ears like a warm Scirocco across a moonlit desert as you lay and watch the stars twinkle in an endless sky, the sound echoing away into the distance, leaving you entranced.
The twisting rhythm of Michal Wojtas’ harmonium breathes in and out on Winding Stairs, with sampled noises and Pawel Kowalski’s percussive beats dancing back and forth. Michal’s gentle voice soothes and muted guitar flurries strain in the distance gently pushing to the fore, contesting the harmonium on it’s last breaths.
An aggressive, distorted riff blasts you out of your reverie and tribal beats kick in, the guitar stuttering and lurching in and out, bouncing between speakers. Delicate swathes of keys wash on the pounding rhythms as they resonate In Closenesswith your increased heartbeat whilst Michal Wotja’s whispering vocals hold it all together.
I love emotional guitar solos and Unrealcries to my very soul as Michal Wojtas bends and slides the frets on mournful waves, underpinned by Michal Sciwiarski’s eddying keyboards. Quite simply bliss.
(Picture by Grzegorz Szklarek)
A different voice softly accompanies the keys and synths on Nuke, courtesy of Colin Bass guesting on vocals, harmonising seamlessly with Michal Wojtas. Steadily and subtly building the music expands, widening the sound to arena proportions with another sublime guitar solo slipping in before the end of this, the penultimate track.
The title tune plays us out starting with the lector narration from John England adding a conceptual feel to Hunt. At just under eighteen minutes this could be classed as an epic musical story, with splendid keyboard passages and samples emulating Michal Wojtas’ quoted influences. Once again there are some fine guitar solos that swoop and fly between Michal’s wonderful vocals. John reflects on questions we should be asking and if can we stay true to ourselves avoiding the pitfalls of a virtual world where hidden people covertly hunt out our personal details for their own benefit, before the album is dramatically brought to a close as a crying guitar collides with the sounds of hammered metal.
Those of you who have read any of my past reviews know I often try to string a storyline through an album in an attempt to illustrate the tunes and catch your attention. I can’t with ‘Hunt’as every time I listen I’m drawn in and have trouble concentrating as I become immersed in the glory of it all.
I apologise for not hearing of Michal Wojta before and I don’t want to gush, but Martin asked the question, ‘could this be a contender for album of the year?’ The answer is probably not. No reflection on the album but like myself, I am sure Amarok have not been heard by the majority of people.
So I feel a desperate need to redress this balance with what little influence I have, please listen to this album because if nothing else it is most definitely one of my contenders for album of the year.
Amarok are tremendous, let’s give Michal Wojta the recognition he deserves.
An intelligent, illuminating and enjoyable examination of the meaning and context of every Pink Floyd song from 1966 to 2014.
• An examination of every Pink Floyd song from ‘Arnold Layne’ to
‘Louder Than Words’.
• The stories behind the songs, their context within the parent
albums and the times they were written and recorded.
• Who played what in the studio and when the songs were played live.
• What the band and critics had/have to say about their musical
development.
From ‘Arnold Layne’ to ‘Louder than Words’, Pink Floyd wrote about
anger, isolation, regret, dismay, and fear. These themes, not always
obvious starting points in popular music, were married to a rare
dynamism that would make Pink Floyd stand out from the crowd. Pink Floyd’s most successful period critically and musically – the eight
albums from 1970 to 1983 – combines the pithy lyrics of Roger Waters, the soulful voice and breath-taking guitar solos of David Gilmour and, until 1979, the jazz-influenced piano and keyboard abilities of the late Richard Wright. In varying permutations, these three wrote the band’s best work. However, when working together as equals, the three principals of Pink Floyd were significantly more than the sum of their individual strengths. Pink Floyd: Song by Song takes a fresh look at the songs, which led to Pink Floyd becoming the third best-selling band of all time. Written in a wry and engaging style, this book will delight the aficionado and the newcomer alike, as it re-listens to the complete works of a unique band.
Andrew Wild first heard Pink Floyd as an impressionable sixteen-year-old in 1983, and since then has studiously collected every available note of music from Pink Floyd and its constituent members. Pink Floyd: Song by Song is his fifth book; his previous works include official biographies of the bands Twelfth Night (Play On, 2009) and Galahad (One for the Record, 2012). He is currently one of the presenters on Progzilla, the UK’s only dedicated prog-rock radio station.
“It’s a new challenge to keep changing your music. I like words like transformation, reinvention, and chameleon. Because one word I don’t like is predictable.”
I’m sort of paraphrasing a quote from Naomi Campbell there, I like the way that, to me, it seems to describe how I view Steven Wilson and his music.
There’s lots of words to describe this artist, challenging and pioneering are two but predictable he definitely is not! I was a big fan of Porcupine Tree but it took me a long time to become enamoured with his solo work and I’m still not a big fan of albums such as ‘Insurgentes’ and ‘Grace For Drowning’. While they were no doubt groundbreaking and forging a new way for his music, I didn’t subscribe to the hype at the time.
I’ve grown to love ‘The Raven That Refused To Sing’ and ‘Hand.Cannot Erase.’, although both were uneasy relationships at first. Through every release he has sought to change his style, not any major changes but subtle transitions that have transformed each piece of work.
Now comes possibly his most controversial work and one that seems to have split the music community in two, ‘To The Bone’.
After many years with Kscope Steven has now signed to Caroline International and his new album is described as:
“A gloriously dynamic modernist pop record as imagined by the UK’s biggest underground artist…”
There’s been a flurry of singles released from the album but I’m going to review it as whole and, with a break from tradition, I’m not going to dissect each track but just give a relatively short synopsis of how they feel to me after a few listens.
Let’s just say that ‘To The Bone’ is a really accessible album but one which also has longevity, the opening and title track To The Bone starts with a voice over before hitting you with something that is rather edgy, full of a funky guitar riff and with some rather tasty harmonica work that adds a driving pop-infused groove to the whole track. Nowhere Now seems like a homage to the bombastic 80’s stadium rock that was the forte of bands like U2 and can still be heard in the alternative rock of Foo Fighters today. A memorable, catchy chorus and some excellent guitar work are the icing on the cake.
The first single release from the album, Pariah,features the unforgettable tones of Ninet Tayeb and is a lush, cinematic piece of intelligent and emotive pop music. A song with a serious overtone and one which envelops the listener in a cosseting soundscape and fuzzy, dynamic guitars. It’s possibly the best song on this release and is immediately followed by another great track, The Same Asylum As Before. This time we’re treated to power chords and crunching riffs that are mingled with chiming pop sensibilities and a falsetto vocal (an abomination to some but I like them) to give an acute and perceptive discourse on the world we live in today.
Refuge is a slow burning, incredibly immersive piece of music that captures the imagination and draws the listener in to its dark world of sanctuary. Haunting and deeply meaningful, the music plays its part in giving the song an otherworldly, almost alien, edge especially with the squalling guitar and harmonica soliloquy and the slow, gentle ambience that closes out the track.
Now onto the marmite song on the album, Permanating is either a wonderful piece of modern, driving pop music, Mr Wilson’s homage to ABBA and E.L.O or empty, mindless pop. I fall firmly in the first camp and love the pastiche and the good feeling that emanates from every note. To each their own and I can see both viewpoints, make your own mind up on this one. Sepia tinged nostalgia drips from every note of the criminally short Blank Tapes, a song that channels Porcupine Tree to these ears. The heartfelt vocals and hushed, delicate music add a huge dose of pathos, just make it longer!
Post-punk Pop with clashing guitars and edgy vocals, People Who Eat Darkness is another fast-paced and hard living track that has hints of Steven’s earlier solo works. A toe tapping song with undertones of developing anger amid the quieter moments., it fits right in with the current mindset of this troubled world. Song Of I is ‘a story of unrepentant obsession set to a sharp-as-a-tack rhythm trackand an orchestral sandstorm’ and is the one track on the album that fails to reach the lofty ambitions of the others. It’s a track I have to be in the mood to listen to other wise it is just a meandering piece of music that seems to have no destination and is in no hurry to get there. Perhaps a victim of it’s own sagacity, it would be no detriment if it wasn’t included.
Detonation isthe longest song on the album at just over nine minutes and never outstays its welcome, building layer by layer of hypnotic and haunting music amid vocals that seem slightly disconnected and uneasy, it has a chilling tone. Primeval guitars and a discordant rhythm section add to the tense and agitated aura that pervades. A modern mystery where the answers always seem just out of reach. The album closes with the wistful grace of Song of Unborn with its touching chorus and sepia tinged ambience. A piece of music that almost makes you hold your breath before breaking out into a dynamic, soul-stirring wall of sound dominated by a solemn guitar solo.
‘To The Bone’ is intelligent,driving modern pop music with vibrant punk and rock roots and sees Steven Wilson cement his position in the music fraternity. Who’s to say his next release won’t be a 70’s disco-funk pastiche? And who’s betting that, even if it is, it won’t be as good as this striking new album.
Host to the most iconic names in rock music, Prog Magazine’sProgressive Music Awards returns for a sixth year on September 14, presenting Carl Palmer with the highly coveted Prog God award for 50 years of service to progressive music.
Palmer will join 300 other musicians, industry figureheads and VIPs, plus our host for the third year running, Matthew Wright, in celebrating the fascinating world of progressive music, from the brightest up-and-coming talent, to the most recognised names on the scene.
Carl Palmer first rose to international fame during his years as drummer for Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and has since pursued a career with the multi-platinum selling supergroup Asia as well as solo. He was recognised accordingly when he was previously awarded the title of Virtuoso at the 2012 Progressive Music Awards. This year’s Prog God award follows in the hallowed tread of previous recipients Rick Wakeman, Peter Gabriel and Yes’ Jon Anderson, celebrating Carl Palmer’s ever-experimental musical style and, most recently, his development of the art technique ‘rhythm on canvas’ as a further means of creative self-expression.
However, Palmer still credits his former bandmates with his success:
“This is a fantastic award to have, and I feel very honoured, but I also feel a little bit sad that Keith Emerson and Greg Lake, who both died last year, aren’t here as well. They played a big part in the progressive movement, and in helping me to get where I am, so I’m accepting it in honour of them.”
Formed in 1970, Emerson, Lake & Palmer became one of the most commercially successful and influential prog rock bands of the decade, earning a global fanbase. This winter Palmer will pay tribute to his late bandmates, touring the UK as Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy, playing ELP classics and celebrating the collective achievements of the band.
The awards, in association with Orange Amplification, will take place on September 14 at the Underglobe in London, a dramatic space which perfectly reflects the theatrical influences on progressive music.
The Progressive Music Awards, in association with Orange Amplification, can also be live streamed via www.progmagazine.com
Damanek is DAn Mash, Guy MANing and MarEK Arnold (with Sean Timms coming to the party just a after the band name was decided, Guy tells me.) A fairly stellar cast is joined by other heavenly bodies to guest on this, the debut album of this project.
Brody Thomas Green (‘Southern Empire’) – drums.
Tim Irrgang (‘UPF’) – percussion. Antonio Vittozzi (‘Soul Secret’) – guitars.
Luke Machin (‘Maschine’/’Kiama’/’The Tangent’) – guitars.
Stephen Dundon (‘Molly Bloom’) – flute.
Nick Magnus – keyboards. Phideaux – vocals.
Ulf Reinhardt (‘Seven Steps to the Green Door’) – drums.
Their live debut at Summers End 2016 caused a stir and a buzz of excitement in the crowd and the Prog community as a whole. It is strong album from beginning to end and it is also, as you would expect from Guy, one with a message. If I am honest it has many messages all in the main told through the allegorical story telling of guys lyrics.
We have 8 tracks that have light and shade along with the complex use of instruments and layers to play parts in the sound. The production is outstanding and reminds of some of the classic albums of the 80’s (but without sounding like an 80’s Prog album.) Sean has done an excellent job in the mix and production of this truly global album.
The opener Nanabohzo and the Rainbow opens with a tribal rhythm and an insistent bass and drum riff throughout give an exotic feel to the track and a rather excellent ear worm quality. Marek has a big part to play with his Sax and, along with Sean on keyboards, is the flesh on the bones of the rhythm. Guy’s voice is on form all the way through the album, it slots so well in the sound as it shifts in form throughout the song.
Long Time, Shadow Falls, this has the most 80’s feel to me, drawing from the best of what Peter Gabriel in style and form did in the mid 80’s. I think it is the keyboard sound but the song is a commentary on poaching and the impact of man that is sung from the view of the victims, the Rhino, the Elephant and the Hippos. It is our gift to stop this but as a species we are doing a poor job.
“Just pictures in a glossy magazine
Long time, a shadow falls and the Earth is lessened”
With the demise of the natural world we are lessened more than we realise.
The Cosmic Scoreis told on a much larger scale with the keyboards of Nick Magnus adding much to it. Imagine if you will the stars are notes on the score of the universe and the music of the universe is playing forever but how badly are we affecting that score on our little planet? It is massive in scope and symphonic in sound.
Believer – Redeemer could be a jazz-funk soul piece, in fact it is to these ears and a real pleasure to listen to as well. The music is a metaphor to the lyric, challenging the prog fan to step outside and listen to a world beyond the Prog bubble. The lyric does the same to the intolerant and unaccepting people of this world. I could honestly hear George Benson or Stanley Clarke doing a cover of this with little or no changes. Oh, by the way, this is a good thing!
Guy has a pixie like sense of humour and in The Big Parade it comes out in spades. The guys here write an anti-war song to a martial beat. The pomposity of marching music along with the beat of an Umpah band make the idiocy of war look like what it is – a playground for overgrown bullies. Reminiscent of Tom Waits“In the Neighbourhood”, with hints of ragtime and New Orleans jazz, here Marek gets to show off his skills to great effect.
The Finale on the album is Dark Sun, a 14 minute epic and truly prog of ‘end of days’ proportions, it’s honestly scary and as ominous as its topic. The sun is getting darker and light gets dimmer as we kill the planet. Air gets thicker with pollution. The sight of our cities in the sunlight with unbreathable air and thick smog hanging like a veil over our lives. It utilises an excellent instrumental break and brilliant piece of guitar keyboard jamming with the brass synchronising beautifully.
I paint a picture of an album that is fundamentally depressing and dispiriting but it is actually very uplifting. The music is tight and full with the quality you would expect from the players but no one dominates in this and it feels like a complete piece of work. The malbum feels global with influences from across boundaries and geography. The messages may be a warning but each song offers hope rather than a sense of inevitable doom. It bears playing and playing again.
I sincerely hope that Damanek produce another album and take it out on the road. I won’t reference bands (as I usually do) but this is an album that has melody and song structure by the bucket load and is not frightened to go outside limiting parameters.
Gentle Giant—’Three Piece Suite’ is a specially curated selection of songs and compositions from the band’s first three albums (Giant, Acquiring The Taste, Three Friends) presented in both 5.1 surround sound and stereo. There are nine tracks from the albums, plus a pre-debut song, remixed by Steven Wilson. The choices were determined by the limited availability of multi-track master tapes from the era. Only a few songs from each album are known to exist as multi-tracks, with the rest presumably lost.
‘Three Piece Suite’ is available in the following formats:
*A two-disc digipak containing 96/24 animated Blu-ray plus CD.
*A single disc digipak CD.
*A two-disc gatefold LP in180g high-end vinyl.
*A 95/24 digital download of the CD version.
Gentle Giant’s ‘Three Piece Suite’ includes the songs “Giant”, “Nothing At All”, and “Why Not” from the first album “Giant”. “Pantagruel’s Nativity”, “The House, The Street, The Room” from the second album “Acquiring The Taste”. “Schooldays”, “Peel the Paint”, “Mr. Class And Quality?”, and “Three Friends” from the album “Three Friends” completes the list of the original recorded material. The band and Steven Wilson are including a previously commercially unreleased song“Freedom’s Child”, taken from the first recording sessions with legendary producer Tony Visconti.
The liner notes by interviewer Anil Prasad include reflections from Gentle Giant’s members about the writing and recording sessions. Furthermore, Steven Wilson and Tony Visconti share their incredible observations about the early days of this unique collection of timeless music from one of progressive rock’s most influential bands.
Tony Visconti recounts: “I was a very optimistic young man in 1970…I thought music like theirs would save the world from mediocrity. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth in it. I championed their cause by becoming sympathetic to the point where I temporarily joined the band for both albums. I modified their arrangements and pulled off some stunning audio effects that gave their sound more depth and immediacy. The band knew I was on their side. I remember there being a great feeling of camaraderie during the sessions.”
Steven Wilson explains: “To create the new mixes, I used Logic as the software and Universal Audio plug ins, which provide emulations of classic analog outboard effects, channel strips and old mixing desks…I used these tools to clean things up and bring out some more clarity, detail and definition in some of the instrumental interplay. There was never a question of trying to outdo the original mixes, but offer different perspectives on them.”
Tony Visconti continues: “In our own way, we’ve touched the ears, minds and hearts of thousands of true believers.”
The band members, collectively, feel there are still good reasons its fans continue to enjoy Gentle Giant’s music and why it continues to be discovered by new generations. For fans of Gentle Giant, “Three Piece Suite” is a must have. For fans of great musicianship and progressive rock this is an incredible insight into the earliest days of this legendary band.
Jet Black Sea: when I got this through my inbox I admit as to being blind to who they were or what to expect, apart from a brief listen to the demos on the band’s Facebook page which was enough to pique my interest.
Adrian Jones’ name popped up and then the penny dropped and the fog cleared with a tinge of familiarity, Nine Stones Close. He is bit of a creative tornado and, like many musicians in the progressive field, prolific in guesting on many other albums. ‘Absorption Lines’ is the second with Michel Simons, the first being ‘The Path Of Least Existence’, released in November of 2013. I did some ferreting around after my first listen through of this one after a very oh my response. Normally the first time I play any album it is to purge out what I have listened to before and get a general feel of what I am listening to musically. I can then flood my mind with the music so all I have is what any musician has created. I never make a snap judgement, I just get a first impression. My first impression here was very much this is special and I immediately flipped back to the start.
“Adrian Jones: talent, Michel Simons: cool dance moves”
To the music which is described as experimental, ambient and dark progressive by the guys themselves and that description ispretty much spot on for me. On paper this is an album of 7 pieces of music or songs with guests:
Pieter van Hoorn: drums on Wrong Turn, The Sixth Wheel & Cathedral Brendan Eyre: keyboards on The Sixth Wheel & Cathedral Paul van Zeeland: bass guitar on Cathedral Adrian ‘Aio’ O’Shaughnessy: vocals on Cathedral Tony Patterson: vocals on Hours Slip Into Days
I am going to say that this is actually one piece of consciousness flowing into the recording and divided up into digestible chunks. It is fluid and connected and thus really difficult to do any song by song break down. Musically the journey is rich, varied and textured with more influences than you can shake a stick at, from the ambient trance dance of The Wrong Turnflowing into the middle-eastern doom chording of The Sixth Wheel, Brendan providing the tonal variation drawing the ear to the Minarets and deserts of the Arab Peninsula and North Africa.
Suddenly we join the crew of Apollo 13 forJumping to Conclusions and a short ambient Berlin School piece drifting in the vacuum of space with Absorption Lines,which flows into a classic Floydian jam session drifting of guitar, keyboards and vocals.
It continues pretty much in this vein throughCathedral until we have a “brass” song as such, with AdrianO’Shaughnessy on vocals and some very understated but powerful guitar work from Mr Jones. Without missing a beat we find ourselves in Hours Slip Into Days, Tony’s voice is silky soft and sits in the sweet spot at the centre of the melody, carrying you into the void beyond this world. We lapse to the end of 133 hours, the time the world held its breath while we waited for Apollo 13 to return home safely. This is a musical and thematic soundtrack to Houston and the Crew of Apollo 13 conversations. It is electronic music married with understated guitar that is built on pure atmospherics.
The album is a sonic experience and as a DJ I want people to hear this and hear what I hear. Playing a track won’t cut it for me as it misses the rest of the release. It is an album not a collection of songs, it flows and grows from one end to the other filling the listener and drawing them through and into it. I am a lover of the discipline of the album, maybe it is my love of classical and electronic long form music but this sits in the same place. Adrian and Michel are not frightened to go outside traditional structure and style and they understand their art and want to see how far it can go.
Fans of Cosmograf, Public Service Broadcasting, Autechre, Scanners, Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, Robert Fripp and Eno will find succour and pleasure in this album. It is individual in its style and is “Jet Black Sea “rather than a version of someone else. I would say this: when you buy this album switch the connections off to the world and spend 45 minutes just letting the music swallow you up, better still, take 90 minutes and go round twice.
