Nick Katona, head honcho of one of the finest music labels around, is back with this year’s charity offering. Seven songs by different artists who have all contributed the music so you have the opportunity to hear something very special indeed while also giving back. You see, you cannot buy this EP or download it without contacting the label, who will then send it to you free of charge (this is a digital-only release). All you have to do to get this is to provide proof of helping others. As Nick says, “To receive your copy as a gift from MRR and with the kind permission of all of our contributing artists we ask you to commit a great act of kindness. Send us proof of you donating to your local charity of choice, it can be your time, or tangible goods such as blankets, food or clothing even pet food. Think outside of the box; donate your time at the local food bank, soup kitchen or shelter. Certainly, the hospitals would be grateful for volunteers or donate blood today and save a life.”
I know that most people who think of others do so with no thought of reward or recognition, it is just because it is the right thing to do. Others aren’t aware of how much pressure this time of year can bring to those who are less fortunate, yet whatever society or country you live in there will always be some who are struggling. Not everyone has access to a computer to read this review, not everyone has access to clean water, food, clothing or a place to stay.
Each year at this time Melodic Revolution makes available a release like this, hoping it is a spur for those who are caught up in their own festivities to remind them of those less fortunate. If this release makes you think of that person who has no-one at Christmas or spurs you into buying a few extra bits and pieces at the supermarket to donate, or for you to find where you can volunteer for a few hours, then it has more than accomplished its goal.
It is almost an aside to say this seven-track release featuring Potter’s Daughter, Andrew Colyer, Harlequin Reborn, Don Schiff, Babal and Murky Red and Franck Carducci are an absolute delight. It is a winter album, not a Christmas album, and is a great way to discover “new” bands: a few here are new to me, while others are old friends. Potter’s Daughter even wrote the sublime “This Winter Child” just for this. Christmas is not about eating too much food or drinking too much wine, it is actually about people. Nick said to me “It’s more than just holiday music; it’s about love and hope”. Get out there, make a difference, and then contact the label with proof and in the subject matter put ‘Pay it Forward’, sending it to [email protected]
You will be making a real difference in people’s lives, and while that will always be reward enough, now you can also get to hear wonderful music by amazing people as well.
Part 2B of The Circle of Confusion of Tongues Trilogy “The Big Everything” EP available for Pre-Order, The CD is a Limited Edition of only 75 Numbered CDs “The Big Everything” EP is also available as a high-quality Download via Melodic Revolution Records Catalog No. MRR-CD-2216
Included With The CD Is A Full Colour A4 Poster Of The Front Cover (“Face Melt”) By Andy White Plus A Mystery Babal Item!!.
Tracklisting 1. The Big Everything (19:34) 2. Beggars To Chance (8:50)
Part 2B of BABAL’s “The Circle of Confusion of Tongues” trilogy moves into epic musical territory with the EP, “The Big Everything/ Beggars to Chance”. (total running time 28:24)
“The Big Everything” begins with a bluesy/jazz invitation to experience the grand design of life imagined. Shifting moods and musical motifs smoothly, this track winds along a tale of desire, yearning, and soul-searching.
At times the piece is almost medieval in tone and color, moving out towards a dark folk-tale ending. Progressive, cinematic and deeply seductive, this piece links specifically to “The Glacier” track from last years’ EP (Part 2A) “Beggars to Chance” is a protest and survive song – backed by tight rhythmic drums, bass, keyboards, and guitar synths/solos.
The plaintive call to arms speaks of dying to life and living in the moment – recurring lyrical themes for Karen Langley in this trilogy. The beautiful psychedelic art of Andy White graces this EP, together with the intense, avant-garde artwork of Paul Kopal; all pieced together by the skillful Rachel Armour.
Digested description; A tempestuous Babal-Noir trip; hard-boiled bedlam mixed with transcendental corridors of communication. Musically inventive and arranged and produced with passionate intensity. “Here we go, here we go, here we go…….”
Watch The Big Everything Teaser Below
BABAL : Karen Langley – Vocals, lyrics, arrangements Rob Williams – Guitars/synthesis Jon Sharp – Drums
Guest artists: Paul Smith – Bass on “The Big Everything” Zoie Green – Keyboards on “Beggars To Chance” Ben Balsom – Bass on “Beggars To Chance”
The Sled is Melodic Revolution Records10th-holiday album for charity.
The Sled is a unique charity release, you cannot purchase this album with Dollars, Pounds Yen or Euros; something this valuable requires a giving heart. To receive your copy as a gift from Melodic Revolution Records (MRR) and with the kind permission of all of our contributing artists we ask you to commit a great act of kindness.
Send us proof of you donating to your local charity of choice, it can be your time, or tangible goods such as blankets, food or clothing. Think outside of the box, donate your time at the local food bank, soup kitchen or shelter. Certainly, your local hospital would be grateful for volunteers or donate blood today and save a life.
We would like to promote the good deeds of great citizens and with your permission, we will share your photos on our page set up this holiday season to spread the good news.
The Sled will be released digitally on Monday, December 3, 2018, and we will stream it free through the end of January 2019.
Each year we host a holiday release to showcase many bands and artists that you may not be aware of, but we feel you should be. The album will feature many styles of holiday music and original music; all of which will touch your heart and soul. May it inspire you – for in giving, we receive so much more.
Let me introduce you to the contributing artists:
Jennifer Cutting’s Ocean Orchestra
The OCEAN Orchestra brings you soaring vocals and fiery bagpipe and fiddle tunes in their own American take on Celtic folk-rock. Fairport Convention’s Simon Nicol says they “get right inside the spirit of the folk music of the British Isles,” and Steeleye Span’s Maddy Prior calls their songwriting “stunning.” https://oceanorchestra.com/home
Federico Fantacone Orchestre Celesti
OC is the creative moniker of composer and keyboardist Federico Fantacone. The project was born in 2006 blending Italian prog, English 70’s variety, and contemporary influences. federicofantacone.wixsite.com/orchestrecelesti
Andrew Colyer
Andrew is an Award-winning Composer in the Pop and Rock and Progressive rock field, he has performed and collaborated with Tony Levin, Jon Anderson, The Tubes, Sound of Contact and, Ryche Chlanda, Circuline, Cell15 among others. http://colyermusic.com
Electric Mud Electric Mud – progressive rock music without the genre’s usual display of virtuosity with endless solos, but straight minimalist guitar riffs on a groovy bass foundation with expressive machine drums. https://www.facebook.com/LiquidSkyNet/
Babal
BABAL reveal a dystopian, sideways view of life; their psych/art-rock approach calling up comparisons with Talking Heads and Patti Smith. The band have gathered great responses around the UK and Europe and have also played live soundtracks for Alternative Cinema presentations. http://babal.rocks
Bill Rhodes
Dr. Bill Rhodes is a musician, composer, producer, author, engineer, and he has been a product specialist for various keyboard companies since the early 1970s. Over the past 35 years, Dr. Bill Rhodes has released over 30 albums on 3 different labels. http://symphonicpiano.com
Don Schiff
Don is a Pop, Prog, and Rock bass guitarist who also writes music for TV, and film. He is one of the earliest Stick, NS/Stick, and bowed guitar players. http://www.facebook.com/donschiffmusic/
Andy John Bradford
Andy is a Progressive Folk Singer-Songwriter residing in Northern Ireland who has collaborated with numerous musicians over the years including MRR’s Colin Tench. http://mrrmusic.com/andy-john-bradford/
Pinnacle
Originally a Power Trio that sounded like so much more, as of 2010, the band is a quartet… but still with the same melodic and symphonic tendencies in the best of Progressive Rock traditions. http://pinnacleband.com
Darrel Treece-Birch
Darrel is a Rock, Pop, Prog, Multi-Instrumentalist, Pianist, Keyboardist & Composer from the UK, Currently a member of TEN (UK Melodic Rockers), writing, recording and performing with Nth Ascension (UK Prog-Rockers) and his own solo works. http://darreltreece-birch.com
For full details to these artists, please follow their links.
This is the fourth album by UK art rock/psych/prog outfit Babal. The band is based around the core of singer Karen Langley and Rob Williams (guitars), with Jon Sharp (drums), Zoie Green (keyboards) and Ben Balsom (bass), and to be honest, I don’t like it very much at all. But, I can appreciate it, and that’s a difference. While I can’t see myself ever playing this for pleasure, I can totally understand why a great many will be fascinated by this weird amalgam of Frank Zappa, Bill Nelson and Talking Heads (plus lots more). I’ve never understood the fascination with David Byrne, but as soon as I started listening to this I was reminded immediately of him, and would have been surprised if I hadn’t come across him in relation to these guys, and wasn’t disappointed.
There are musical layers upon layers, complex, often staccato and disjointed, all coming together in a strange mix where the drums are too far to the front. That is my only complaint on what is generally very strong production indeed, so that is an obvious choice as opposed to any failing. This really isn’t my style of music though, but for anyone who is intrigued by the idea of David Byrne being involved with Zappa (in particular) then I do urge you to seek this one out, even though it is not for me. It has been released by Melodic Revolution Records on vinyl as well as CD and digitally
Melodic Revolution Records Featured Album For April 2018 Babal | The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues
Label – Melodic Revolution Records Release Year – 2018 Country – United Kingdom Genre – Art/psych rockers tinged with folk,tribal,goth,jazz to make a challenging brew of musical/theatrical/mime/visual madness that allows for absurd social comment and hellish edgy grooves 🙂
Band Members Karen Langley – Vocals Rob Williams – Guitars/Synthesis/Ebow Jon Sharp – Drums
Guest Musicians Paul Smith – Double Bass – (Stolen Breath,He’s Got The Bends) Zoie Green – Keyboards – (He’s Got The Bends, The Great Overwhelm) Craig High – Clavino – (He’s Got The Bends) Ben Baisom – Bass – (The Great Overwhelm, Amanda, Monkey On My Banck,Partakers)
Track Listing Teeth Of The Universe Amanda He’s Got The Bends The Crooked Path Stolen Breath Monkey On My Back The Foot High Guy Partakers Volunteers The Great Overwhelm Skating On The Pond Blockpave Me Over
“This highway leads to the shadowy tip of reality: you’re on a through route to the land of the different, the bizarre, the unexplainable…Go as far as you like on this road. Its limits are only those of mind itself. Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re entering the wondrous dimension of imagination. . . Next stop The Twilight Zone.” ― Rod Serling
Throughout my various journey’s and pilgrimages into the world of progressive rock I have ran into many characters. Some characters have been very uplifting and positive with both music and lyrical material. Other characters have taken me into some very intelligent and thought provoking areas of the mind. Meanwhile other characters have taken me into areas where I had to stop and ask, “WTF, did I just experinece?” This is as if I had found the Twilight Zone of Progressive Rock.
This is the case with Melodic Revolution Records latest sign Babal. You are truly introduced to some very mind altering characters on their recent effort The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues. Babal are a heavy progressive rock version of bands such as Siouxsie And The Banshees, meets The Cure, The Church with a twist of Concrete Blonde on the Gothic end of their vast spectrum. On the psychedelic end of the spectrum it is more what would of been found on the corners of Haight and Ashbury in middle to late 1960’s San Francisco with bands like Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin & Big Brother And The Holding Company, The Byrds, Fever Tree, Mama’s and The Papa’s, etc … On the progressive rock end bands that come to mind are Yes, King Crimson, The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, even the more eclectic appearance and sounds of early Peter Gabriel era Genesis. A full cacophony and cornucopia of various sounds that Babal have fashioned into their own unique world of eclectic psychedelic progressive rock.
The band themselves went very under the radar to me until I was able to obtain a copy of The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues. The album is made up of 12 songs. Each song carries a different side to the personality of the band. It may require a few spins however, if the listener remains objective and open minded they will start to pick up on the many personalities that make up the character of the band as a collective. Let’s explore the 12 various and melodious personalities that make up the very character of Babal’s The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues.
Teeth Of The Universe opens up with a heavy progressive funk element which is somewhat reminiscent of George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic with a little Gothic sprinkle of Concrete Blonde’s Bloodletting album.There is a huge big top heavy drum layer that sets up the rhythm section to come with ease. There is a equal balance between the funk elements and the progressive rock rhythm sections. The rhythm sections are more rooted within more chord progressions found in psychedelic rock. Rob Williams certainly has a atmospheric approach with the lead guitars. Soon the dark, deep and sensual Gothic voice comes in who is owned by the ever talented Karen Langley. This is a sure fire roller coaster of various psychedelic chord progressions married to traditional progressive time signatures. There is also some great soulful backing vocals that add a accented flavour to the lead vocals.
Amanda opens up with a perfect union of bass guitar and synth’s. The open has a EDM vibe that is transcribed to a more progressive/psychedelic rock pallet. This has a very groove laden rhythm section. The vocals are semi spoken word, semi melodic as Karen Langley gives the listener the illusion of two separate and distinct characters in between her lead and backing vocals. The lyrical content is very thought provoking.
He’s Got The Bends starts out with a heavy psychedelic chord progression that is running in harmony with a more Indian Classical Music/ Oriental music passage. The beautiful vocals and articulate yet bizarre storytelling certainly add to the album. The listener starts to see a very unpredictable yet highly interesting pattern the band continually presents in the album. The Double Bass and the Clavino certainly add a whole otherworldly dimension to the bands sound and presentation. Babal are certainly not shy with experimentation whatsoever.
The Crooked Path begins with a psychedelic and unorthodox chant from Karen Langley. You start to see the true depth of both her talent and her uncanny ability to experiment with the music of Babal. Rob Williams – Guitars/Synth’s and Jon Sharp – Drums certainly allow the music space to breathe to open up such experimentation. This track is the perfect example to that. The band are as articulate in the instrumental side of the melody as Karen is with her lyrics and storytelling. The track takes a more fuzzy stoner distorted fade out effect towards its conclusion.
Stolen Breath starts out like it has some very early pre-alternative vibe that came out of the sound of late 1970’s CBGB’s in New York. Rob Williams has a very serious depth with his synth orchestrations. Stolen Breath really opens the listener to this very fact. The vocal harmonies between the lead and backing vocals are tracked very well that it sounds like Karen has a mini choir following her in harmony to her lead vocal. Jon Sharp has a uncanny ability to use the cymbals to create atmospheres in the backdrop on the song and making those atmospheres more melodic at times rather that a rhythmic section sound.
Monkey On My Back opens up with a very heavy and traditional progressive rock chord progression passage. The brilliant brainstorms this band has allow for another beautiful articulate spoken word section in the lead vocals meanwhile playing in perfect harmony to the melodic backing vocals. This track is a straight away jam band style track. It has straight away drum textures along with a sick guitar rhythm section along with a nice thunderous bass line. Rob Williams executes some serious guitar solos towards the end.
The Foot High Guy starts out almost like a soundtrack to a television show of suspense or horror depending how you hear it. It is a very dark and brooding chord progression that is soon met with some seriously dark lyrical content in perfect harmony to the instrumental portion. There is a lot of consistency here allowing the listener to become enveloped in both the dark instrumental and the dark lyrical content. The lead vocals remain very soulful as well.
Partakers starts out much like a cosmic space rock style chord progression. The beginning comes much in the tradition of bands like Oresund Space Collectivemeets Buckethead. The bass/rhythm section certainly anchors this track and allows the guitars and vocals to open the listener up to yet another perspective of the bands very eclectic sound. The lyrical content remains absolute Genius in this song. The synth’s are very wonderfully orchestrated much like a horned section in this one as well.
Volunteers opens up with a very deep bass synth backed atmosphere. Soon the guitar and drums lend to the very eclectic rhythm section. The band seem to have a very great talent to make a song sound very different from the other songs as to not have the entire album sound like the same thing all the way through it. The lyrical content continues its articulate consistency on this track as well. In a way this track reminds me very much of Concrete Blonde’s Ghost Of A Texas Ladies Man.
The Great Overwhelm opens up with screeching high end lead guitars that are anchored by a very straight up bass/drum rhythm section. The very amount of rhythm on this going forward is insane. The synth’s are once again both use as a horned section and a sound effect section. Despite its title The Great Overwhelm allows a lot of space for the listener to digest what they are hearing at that moment. The heavy Gothic influence remains this deep into the album as well.
Skating On The Pond opens up as a very somber synth driven track. The synth takes on the very character of a traditional Hammond Organ that has been well associated with progressive rock since its inception. The beautiful vocal layers and harmony totally take the track to levels that are very Avant Garde meets Psychedelic. The lyrical content continues to be very heavily thought provoking.
Blockpave Me Over opens up with a strange yet interesting spoken word section. Soon the track takes on the very character of a deep bass/drum driven rhythm section. The synth’s come in to create layers upon layers of atmospheres. Those atmospheres are perfectly complimented by equally interesting guitar solos.
This album was certainly a treat to the ears. The way every track has its own character and basically forces the listener to take notice of every nuance about it is short of stunning. Where some albums start to lose the listener half way through them, Babal’s The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues hooks you and never let’s the listeners attention go. I especially like a band that refuses to be pigeonholed into one sound as well. Babal take many elements out of many genres to make their own distinctive sound that is only Babal. This is certainly a discovery I have been waiting to see on the Melodic Revolution Records label. I give Babal’s The Circle Of Confusion Of Tongues a 5/5for sheer experimental brilliance.
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