One of the nice things about writing about music for so many years is that I am often sought out by bands asking if I will review their latest release. I don’t take everything I am offered by labels or PR companies as there are only so many hours in a day, but one of my personal rules is that if I am approached by band or artist then I will always accept the offer of the album and write about it honestly. One of my favorite sayings is “so much music, so little time”, and it never ceases to amaze me how much great music is out there by bands I have not previously come across. When I started writing about prog some 30 years ago there were very few, and it was rarely covered by magazines – these days it is possible to buy music mags which do feature this style of music but we don’t get many at the end of the world, so most of the time I find myself in isolation and have no idea what is happening outside my own sphere. But I do hope these guys have been getting the attention they deserve.
This is the second album by this Austrian quintet, who comprise Alex Clement (guitar, additional vocals), Christoph Kasparovsky (grand piano, keyboards, organ), Gabriel Lahrmann (drums, percussion), Simon Nagy (bass) and Viktoria Simon-Lukic (vocals). It has taken five years from the release of ‘Pictures’ to get to this space and let’s hope it doesn’t take nearly as long for the next album as this is a delight from start to end. Although the album is made up of lengthy numbers, none of them ever feel like they are dragging on as they are compact and concise and everything makes musical sense. It is quite an intense album, in that the music is coming at the listener in a fairly frenetic and overpowering way. One of the reasons for that is the guys at the back are not prepared to sit still and just provide a bedrock for everything else but rather want to keep driving the music forward and providing their own musical counterpoint. Then you have keyboards and guitars which are reminiscent of the Hensley/Box interplay of old as they keep competing with each other for dominance, but never at the detriment of the song as a whole. Viktoria Simon-Lukic is a good singer as opposed to great, but she holds her own with the very powerful music taking place around her.
While there is some fairly obvious Spock’s Beard influence here and there along with IQ, bands such as Mythologic and even Pink Floyd and Mostly Autumn also get a look in. This is a highly melodic crossover progressive rock with neo tendencies which is a blast from start to finish. No navel-gazing prog elite here, but rather a band out having fun and taking the listeners along with them for the ride. Highly polished, this just doesn’t seem like a second album, as it is way too controlled for that. I am somewhat surprised they haven’t been picked up by a label as yet, but possibly that will change after this. They have been touring in mainland Europe, as well as playing some festivals, so hopefully, they will get the attention they deserve. With a very strong rock element to their music, these complex simple songs are going to be appreciated by those who want their prog to take control in a very direct manner indeed. Strong stuff.
I’m pretty sure this CD represents a first for me, and that’s not something I can say very often having been writing for more than 30 years, but what we have here is a jazz album that has been solely performed, recorded and produced by a single person. Pablo Embon was born and raised in Argentina and started playing both piano and guitar when he was seven years old. Here he plays multiple pianos and keyboards, acoustic, nylon, electric and 12-strong guitars, along with both electric and upright bass. I am guessing the drums are programmed as there is no mention of them anywhere, but if that is the case then it is a fine bit of programming indeed.
This is a wonderfully fluid and laid-back instrumental album with loads of space. He moves between instruments with ease, with arrangements that honestly make the listener believe they are hearing a quartet. There are some delicate touches on the bass behind the melody where are slipping and sliding, adding nuances and deft touches which really make a difference. There is a sense of joy here, and if I didn’t know it was the work of just one man I would be saying the musicians were sitting there bouncing ideas off each other with smiles on their faces as it really does feel that way. The twelve songs are all originals, and they all have that relaxed feel which fits in perfectly with the album title. The album cover shows Pablo in a bar with himself having a beer, and it looks like he really is reminiscing over old times with a friend. Given his control on both guitar/bass and keyboards perhaps it isn’t surprising to find him having a dual personality.
While not essential, this is a fun summer album, bringing in lightness and joy to all who hear it.
This four-track EP is my first experience of Quicksilver Night, a project run by guitarist Warren Russell who brings in other musicians as he needs them, although he provides a great many himself. This 3-song release features the wonderful Meagan Finning on vocals, plus Jason Cale on lead guitar plus some acoustic and backing vocals, and is currently available with an additional song when downloaded, the 2016 single “Exeunt” which features Meagan again, but with Milt Gore on lead guitar. The EP starts with the title song and harmony guitars, but while they are driven along by the drums, Meagan comes in over the top with some beautiful double-tracked vocals. It soon becomes apparent that the songs are designed around her wonderful voice, as he provides some incredible soprano high vocals over the top of more controlled symphonic rock vocals – in many ways she reminds me of Floor Jansen. “October Skies” is more acoustic-based, while Meagan again reaches for the high notes, and the use of synthesized fiddles gives this a very Horslips feel as the electric guitars also make their presence felt.
There is again a lot of space within the arrangements, with Meagan always very much front and center. “Homecoming” is more complex, with intricate musical threads, organ, multiple vocal lines, plenty of piano and drums, and feels much more controlled and concise. The final track, “Exeunt”, feels slightly different to the others with more guitars, but given it was recorded some years ago perhaps that isn’t surprising. Meagan’s vocals are still at the forefront of everything which is going on, and it is they that make this EP such a delight. Pop over to Bandcamp and give them a listen as this is well worth hearing and is a great introduction to the work of Warren Russell.
Mind Key was formed in Napoli some twenty years ago by in 1999 by Dario De Cicco (keyboards) and Emanuele Colella (guitars) who wanted to create a band that brought together Dream Theater, Symphony X, Evergrey, and Pain of Salvation with short direct hard rock numbers. They release their debut in 2004, played gigs with the likes of Dream Theater, Vision Divine, and Pendragon, before releasing their second album “Pulse for a Graveheart” in 2009. This saw them with a new singer, Aurelio Fierro, and they again toured with the likes of Edguy, Vanden Plas, Europe, and Hammerfall, but the band then went on an extended break.
Now they are back, bolstered by a new rhythm section of bassist Lucio Grilli (ex-Soul Secret) and drummer Mirko De Maio (The Flower Kings, Hangarvain), and one has to wonder why they have been away for so long as this is high octane from the start and never lets up. I can certainly see where the guys get their inspiration from, but I am a little surprised not to find classic Stratovarius in the list, as well as that style, is all over this. Prog Metal, melodic metal, call it what you will, this is class from start to finish. Aurelio Fierro has a great voice, with an edge that gives it additional breadth and quality, combined with a great range. Add that to a rhythm section who are never going to just sit back and play gently but instead are driving and adding to the melody, and a keyboard player and guitarist who are locked together swapping leads and one is transported.
Thankfully the production is up to the task, and the result is an album that fans of bands such as Alcatrazz will also enjoy, with Colella proving he can shred like Malmsteen when the need arises. For fans of great rock music, let’s hope we don’t have to wait nearly as long for the next one.
Take a guitarist (who also provides some live samples), a trumpeter who also provides flugelhorn and keyboards, and a singer who also provides some electronics and a vocal synth, then put into a studio for one day only to record ten covers of some progressive rock tunes in a way which is both sympathetic and experimental, and this is the result. They mix acoustic guitar and brass with electronic and rock to create something which feels very modern but also at times very dated indeed. It stretches into jazz, particularly on “I Talk To The Wind/Roots”, yet at all times there is the feeling that this is a group of guys who are deeply in love with the music they are performing and want to pay homage while also moving it into a different direction. For the second time in recent months I have come across a cover of one of my favorite songs, namely “Shipbuilding”, here stripped back and taken in a totally different direction to the one which everyone knows, but even Robert Wyatt and composers Elvis Costello and Clive Langer would be impressed with this.
Boris Savoldelli is a well-known jazz singer (as well as a teacher of the form at Venice and Bresica Conservatories of Music), and his confidence in his ability allows Maurizio Brunod and Giorgio Li Calzi to step back and put plenty of space in the accompaniment. I prefer the songs where they don’t bother with electronic percussion but instead take the song into a new direction, such as on “Starless” which has at its core gentle acoustic guitar and jazz vocals (even scat at times) yet is also dominated by trumpet and some wonderful controlled electric guitar notes. The album is fresh, invigorating, exciting and exactly what a covers album should be to my mind as the trio don’t attempt to faithfully replicate what has gone before but instead takes that as a starting point for a new journey. Well worth discovering
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