Loonypark has long been one of my favorite Polish progressive rock bands, and one with an incredibly stable line-up. This 2016 release was their fourth album, and apart from the replacement of drummer Jakub Grzeslo after 2008’s debut, ‘Egoist’, it was the same as it was since the beginning namely singer Sabina Godula-Zając, Piotr Grodecki (guitar, double bass, banjo), Krzysztof Lepiarczyk (keyboards, programming, composer & arranger), Piotr Lipka (bass) and Grzegorz Fieber (drums). What we have here is extremely strong neo-prog, but the band refuses to sit still so while opener “Something To Forget” is bombastic with great guitar lines, hooks and simple but effective keyboards leads, the follow-up “Face In The Mirror” is far more laid-back. This even features violin from guest Sylwia ‘Maya’ Majka until Piotr decides to ensure everyone is still awake as he crunches through.
Arrangements aren’t overly complex, and although this is progressive, at the heart is a rock band which is being controlled by the keyboard player who is happy to rely on the piano as he is on other keyboards. Sabina has a warm rock voice that works well within the music as she sings in clear unaccented English. The result is a very approachable release, that contains some very strong moments indeed, although they do seem to be treading water at times when they slow it down. The band is definitely most in their element when they up the tempo, introduce more rock elements into their music, and there are times when they come across as a modern Simple Minds with guitar making inroads here and there as opposed to all the time. The use of banjo is surprisingly effective, as long as the intent is for the listener to smile when they hear it. Another solid album.
Even before I started listening to this album, the omens were good. Firstly, the two improvisers recorded it in its entirety on my birthday, and then we have the title. For non-Brits, tor is a hill or rocky outcrop, while a vale is a valley, so they co-exist side by side and it is not possible to have one without the other. I grew up in South Devon, spent as much time as I could on Dartmoor where there is Hound Tor, Yes Tor, and so many others, and my parents named our house Haytor after one of the most well-known granite outcrops. Mark Wingfield has been making quite a name for himself in recent years with his stunning guitar albums, while Gary Husband will always be thought of for his long relationship with Allan Holdsworth, which started all the way back in 1979. Although Husband has always been primarily thought of as a drummer, he is also a very accomplished pianist and it is in that role he provides the counterpoint to Wingfield.
Some of the songs were written by Wingfield ahead of time, others were improvised on the spot, but this is all about two musicians playing call and response, listening to the other and instinctively reacting. Husband explained that the intuitive nature of this Tor & Vale session has been part of his modus operandi for years. “I actually have the infuriating habit of listening to initial instruction or some kind of plan, only to then completely disregard it and let instinct and intuition take over,” he said. “I love the conversational, instinctive process to make its own way and present itself through us.” The result is something quite magical, as two players intuit what the other is going to do before they even know it themselves, as they move and guide each other through a journey where not only is the destination not know, there is no map. This freedom can be paralyzing to some, but here there is no hesitation, no looking back, just always pushing onwards to a final result which is as yet unknown.
This is music without a net, no room to hide behind others, just two guys in a room with the red light on and concentrating intently on what each of them is doing and letting the music spirit guide them on the path. Intense, dramatic, powerful, this is a wonderful album in so many ways. Production is top-notch, as is everything that comes out of the Spanish La Casa Murada Studio, which has been a base for so much of Wingfield’s work. Yet another essential release from Moonjune.
Here we have a two-track digital single from one of the best new prog bands around, Kaprekar’s Constant, with all proceeds going to the charity Crisis. While the title cut is a new song, the second “Call It A Memory” was their debut single back in 2017. Their mix of folk and prog, with complex arrangements and layerings, have made Kaprekar’s Constant a great many friends, and their debut ‘Fate Outsmarts Desire’ is simply stunning (to my shame I still haven’t played the follow-up, ‘Depth of Field’, but it is on my list, honest!). These two songs remind me just why I love that album so much, as while the arrangements are huge and complicated there is also a simplicity contained with which make them such a delight. One can certainly see why David Jackson is so involved, and his use of various saxes, flutes, and whistles breaks through to provide an edge while the twin vocals of Bill Jefferson and Dorie Jackson are sublime and comforting. This single should become a new Christmas classic, and by buying it not only will you have an incredible musical experience but you will be helping those less fortunate as well.
Here we have the debut release by Operation: Paperclip, another project put together by Bob Madsen (he has a few on the go at the moment, check out https://www.thehighlanderco.com for more information) along with keyboard player/singer Tony Carey (although Tony has had a successful solo career as well as the Planet P Project, I always think of him as the keyboard player for classic Rainbow). Here we have a 20-minute rock opera co-written by Bob with Kenny Steel 41Point), based on characters originally created by Tony Carey in his first few solo albums. They also brought in Gregg Bissonette on drums and Frank Rosato on engineering, and it was only after it was all finished that they decided to also add a cover, namely Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”.
Here we have an album that feels firmly rooted in the Seventies, where it didn’t matter what influences one brought into the songs, and with no-stick within particular boundaries. It rocks along when it needs to, with twin guitars, sounding a little like The Band, or even The Boss, or it can be reflective with layers of keyboards. It doesn’t sound modern in any way, this is rock music that is honest and feels full of sweat and power, organic and full of passion: it is hard to realize the main players were either side of the Atlantic pulling this together (Carey lives in Germany). Carey’s voice is gravelly, and sounds its age, but that works well in this style of music which needs to be far removed from single-note vocal perfection. There is even the use of film clips to add additional depth and elements to the music, while Bob ensures his bass is never too far from the surface.
Apparently this was a childhood dream come true for Madsen, who used to listen to Tony’s albums a great deal when he was younger and let’s hope they undertake further work for a full album release (this is only 24 minutes long in total), as I for one would like to hear more.
Any fan of Agnostic Front will look at the front cover of ‘Get Loud!’ and immediately recognize the characters from their 1986 classic ‘Cause For Alarm’, and have an idea of what they are going to find inside. But when a band has been at the forefront of a musical movement for nearly 40 years, with a line-up that has been incredibly consistent in recent times, then everyone should already know what to expect. The godfathers of hardcore are back doing what they do best, mixing hardcore aggression with thrash to create a metallic mosh of sweat and energy. There are 14 songs on the album, which is only 31 minutes long, with only one breaking the three-minute barrier yet there is no need for length when it is as powerful as this. Roger Miret has been at the helm since 1982 and he has lost none of his aggression as he has matured, just become more focused. Miret says, “Something real. I think that’s the secret to our longevity. People see us, and they see something that’s real and genuine, and they want to be a part of that. Who wants to be a part of something that’s fake? If you feel a connection to something and it feels real, you wanna know about it and be a part of it.” This is real, this is hardcore, and to understand what the scene is all about then you need Agnostic Front who show no signs of slowing down yet and are still producing incredibly solid albums indeed.
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