THE TANGENT, the progressive rock group led by Andy Tillison, will release their 10th studio album ‘Proxy’ on November 16th, 2018. Recorded during the band’s tour with Karmakanic in 2017/18, which saw them with more chances than normal to work together on the record – hotel writing sessions, van discussions, soundcheck ideas – all of which have allowed the band to make an album that is as organic as they have ever achieved since their formation 15 years ago.
Now they are extremely pleased to launch the first single taken from the album. Listen to ‘A Case of Misplaced Optimism’ here:
Andy comments: “’A Case Of Misplaced Optimism’ is a song of two moods, one of defiant pride and another of wistful regret. It bounces between moody atmospheric grooves and big funky choruses. We wrote it especially, as if this were to be our 45 RPM, 7 inch single in times gone by – the prog rock attempt to have a “hit”. Lyrically it’s a song that looks back on personal life choices frowned upon, even criminalised, in the past – celebrating the changes in society that have made those choices more acceptable and expressing regret for those, who like Alan Turing never lived to see these vital freedoms granted.”
Watch a trailer for the album here, featuring some snippets of brand new music, here:
‘Proxy’ is now available to pre-order as limited CD digipak, 180g vinyl + CD (including several coloured vinyl versions) & as digital download here: https://the-tangent.lnk.to/Proxy
Andy Tillison comments: “Our belief is that Progressive Rock music is still a valid and viable musical form in 2018 and will continue to be so. Our band has always sought to take on board things from the present and add them to that magical mix. We don’t claim to be offering the FUTURE. We just claim to be offering one set of possibilities. Ours. Now.”
‘Proxy’ is a riot of juxtaposing styles, presented in a really direct manner and despite being firmly rooted in the stylistic traits of the Progressive Rock Genre takes some unexpected turnoffs and a major swerve. The albums kicks off with a trademark Tangent prog fantasia based around growling Hammonds, shrieking Synths, whirling guitars and sharp percussive bass – influences of ELP, Egg, Hatfield & the North, Caravan and Camel proudly worn on their sleeves. This 16-minute title track eventually becomes a protest song about the continuing wars that share their name with the song.
But this album features no overall concept. The second track is a sun-drenched Mediterranean fusion instrumental, more Chick Corea than Che Guevara. And the third track is referred to by the band as an attempt to find the missing link between Porcupine Tree and Jamiroquai. By the time we reach the centrepiece epic track ‘The Adulthood Lie’, the rulebook has been left behind and the band are trying to fix the car with whatever is at hand.
The Tangent came of age some time ago now. After 15 years with a constant presence on the periphery of the scene, this album is the next step on the road from a band who have painstakingly revered and recreated the past, with one eye on the future.
The album will be available as a limited CD digipak, Vinyl LP + CD & as digital download. The full track-listing is as follows:
1.Proxy
2.The Melting Andalusian Skies
3.A Case of Misplaced Optimism
4.The Adulthood Lie
5.Supper’s Off
6.Excerpt From “Exo-Oceans” (Bonus Track)
The album features the following players:
Andy Tillison – Vocals, Lyrics, Keyboards, Composer
Jonas Reingold (The Sea Within, Steve Hackett Band) – Bass Guitar
Theo Travis (Soft Machine, Travis-Fripp) – Sax & Flute
Luke Machin (Maschine, Francis Dunnery Band) – Guitar
Steve Roberts (ex Magenta, Godsticks) – Drums
With special guest: Goran Edman (Karmakanic) – Vocals
‘Proxy’ follows the release of 2017’s ‘The Slow Rust of Forgotten Machinery’ which received fantastic reviews upon release:
“Eloquent, far-reaching prog” – Prog Magazine
“sophisticated and spot on” – Classic Rock
“This is essential listening” – Powerplay
RIVERSIDE’s Mariusz Duda checked in with the following comment:
”Today sees the release of an album, which for me is the finale of quite a painful journey. After two Lunatic Soul releases, this is the last part of a private trilogy about surviving and trying to find yourself in a new reality. In music, emotions are the most important aspect for me. All the rest is superficial, more or less polished, it attracts or puts off only those who think they are in the know.
Thanks to all of you who have stood by our side, by my side for the past few years. Thanks for taking the journey together and for your understanding. I hope you’ll like ‘Wasteland’.“
“That day is coming
I know that you are calling to me
I don’t want you to make me wait too long
It’s time to get on the road.“
The full statement to be found here: http://bit.ly/2xISJfQ
Starting with the album release date, RIVERSIDE will be performing special acoustic in-store sets across Poland. Check out an excerpt of an acoustic rendition of the single track “Vale Of Tears” and look up all exact dates and times of the performances here:
The track-listing for RIVERSIDE “Wasteland” album reads as follows:
RIVERSIDE – “Wasteland”:
1. The Day After
2. Acid Rain
3. Vale Of Tears
4. Guardian Angel
5. Lament
6. The Struggle For Survival
7. River Down Below
8. Wasteland
9. The Night Before
Next to the standard edition of “Wasteland“ as Jewelcase CD, CD Digipak, and Digital Album, the release will also be available as limited edition Mediabook CD (with extended booklet, a bonus track radio edit version and a set of 3 stickers) and as Gatefold 2LP (on 180gr. vinyl with the album on CD as bonus and an Etching of the D-Side).
The various editions and limitations of the vinyl release are as follows:
Black 2LP+CD: Unlimited
Clear 2LP+CD: 100x copies / IOM Webshop Europe
Silver 2LP+CD: 100x copies / IOM Webshop Europe
Golden 2LP+CD: 100x copies / Laser’s Edge – IOM Webshop USA
Lilac 2LP+CD: 200x copies / JPC Germany
Dark Green 2LP+CD: 300x copies / Burning Shed UK
White 2LP+CD: 300x copies / CM Distro Europe
Boston’s Bent Knee play a homecoming show this evening, Thursday, July 19, at The Sinclair. It wraps up a successful tour that found the band traversing the US with tour partners Gatherers throughout June and July.
Bent Knee also just released the full length ‘Live at the Record Co.’ video, featuring a live performance of 2017’s InsideOut-released ‘Land Animal’ album in full and in sequence. Watch it here:
Look for the band to join label mates Haken and Leprous on an extensive US tour in the fall. Dates directly below:
October 30th – The Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac, MI
October 31st – Opera House, Toronto, ON
November 1st – Astral, Montreal, QC
November 2nd – Underground Arts, Philadelphia, PA
November 3rd – Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
November 4th – The Sinclair, Boston, MA
November 6th – Soundstage, Baltimore, MD
November 7th – Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
November 8th – The Orpheum, Tampa, FL
November9th – Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL
November 10th – The Plaza Live, Orlando, FL
November 11th – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA
November 13th – Gas Monkey, Dallas, TX
November 14th – Barracuda, Austin, TX
November 16th – Crescent Ballroom, Phoenix, AZ
November 17th – Glasshouse, Pomona, CA
November 18th – August Hall, San Francisco, CA
November 19th – Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
November 20th – The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
November 21st – Rickshaw Theater, Vancouver, BC
November 23rd – Metro Music Hall, Salt Lake City, UT
November 24th – Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
November 25th – Granada Theater, Lawrence, KS
November 26th – Delmar Hall, St Louis, MO
November 27th – Exit/In, Nashville, TN
November 29th – Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
November 30th – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
December 1st – Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
Bent Knee recently released a concert film of the band’s first full-scale contemporary-classical composition, titled ‘Paper Earth’, here: https://youtu.be/LGNZePMJ8XM
The Sea Within – a new art-rock group formed by Roine Stolt (Transatlantic, The Flower Kings), Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, The Tangent), Tom Brislin Music (Renaissance, Spiraling, Yes Symphonic, Deborah Harry) & Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, UK, Joe Satriani) – have announced they will release their as-yet-untitled debut album in Spring 2018.
Roine Stolt comments on how the project came together:
“I think all it started as a suggestion from the record company – putting together a new band, starting fresh, seeing if collective writing could spawn a unique style. Call it a supergroup if you want – I think we can handle that.”
The members recently entered Livingston Studios in London to begin recording the basic tracks, and found an instant chemistry in the way they worked together. “Going into the studio in London was taking a great risk as we had not been in the same room together beforehand.” Roine continues: “We had just sent demos around and didn’t really know if we could make great music together, but we managed to track almost 2 hours of new music, a mix of collective ideas. We also had a lot of great ‘off-time’, sharing laughs and stories in local pubs – that part is important.”
Currently the members are putting the finishing touches on their debut album, and of the music’s direction Roine says: “There are elements of prog, pop, art-rock and many cinematic elements. I suppose the music comes from within our collective memories of all that we love as far as sounds, visions and poetry. We hope that discovering the music will be a journey for the open-minded fan – something as fresh and uncertain and unfolding as it is for us.”
The Sea Within has also announced their first confirmed live date, taking to the stage at Night of the Prog Festival 2018 at Loreley, Germany on the weekend of 13-15th July 2018 alongside Camel, Big Big Train, Riverside & more. Tickets are available now here:
Label: InsideOut Music Release Year: 2017 Country: Sweden Genre: Progressive Rock
Band Members
Nad Sylvan – Lead Vocals/Electric & Acoustic (5) Guitars/Keyboards/Piano (5) Orchestrations (4,5,8) Pogramming (7) Poducer & Mxing
Additional Musicians
Tania Doko – Lead (8) & Backing (2) Vocals Jade Ell – Lead (1,2,5,8) & Backing (4,5,7,8) Vocals Sheona Urquhart – Lead (1,2) & Backing (4,5,7,8) Vocals/Saxophone (7) Steve Hackett – Guitars (5-8) Guthrie Govan – Guitar (5) Roine Stolt – Guitar (6) Anders Wollbeck – Keyboards & Programming (3)/ Orchestration (6)/Sound Design (1,2,4,8), co-producer (1,3,6) Tony Levin – Chapman Stick (3,7)/ Upright bass (5)/ Electric Bass (7)
Jonas Reingold – Bass (2,4,6,8)/ Guitar Riff (4) Nick D’Virgilio – Drums (2,4,6,8)/ Percussion (2) Doane Perry – Drums (3,5,7) Alfons Karabuda – Waterphone (3)
Track Listing
1. Bridesmaids (1:17) 2. The Quartermaster (5:38) 3. When The Music Dies (7:00) 4. The White Crown (6:15) 5. What Have You Done (8:29) 6. Crime Of Passion (5:59) 7. A French Kiss In An Italian Cafe (5:58) 8. The Bride Said No (12:26) – silence (2:00) 9. Black Sheep – hidden track
Eccentric A person of unconventional and slightly strange views or behavior.
Genius
Exceptional intellectual or creative power or other natural ability.
During his tenure with Genesis in the later 1960’s to early 1970’s Peter Gabriel was looked at the world over as being a bit odd, strange, different, theatrical, weird and even eccentric. With his choice of outfits on stage, to his public persona, Peter Gabriel could not escape the stereotypes that are mentioned above. Another thing Peter Gabriel was notorious for was his absolute genius with the creative side of the progressive rock and entertainment business.
After his departure from Genesis, Peter Gabriel began to really change into something else. This held totally true with the invention of MTV where Peter Gabriel had an era full of many field days with his video presentations. Some of MTV’s most notorious and strange videos came from Peter Gabriel with the likes of Games Without Frontiers, Shock The Monkey, Solsbury Hill and his juggernaut Sledgehammer. The fact that the world got to see this Eccentric Genius at work was a privilege to the world over. Over the years Peter Gabriel would tone down such presentations and focus more on the musical aspect. This left a void in progressive rock/ art rock until Nad Sylvan came along, thus the Eccentric Genius has come in a different individual. This also would shape his image and sound going into another great progressive rock band Nad Sylvan fronted and that being Agents Of Mercy.
Nad Sylvan is a bit of a Eccentric Enigmatic Geniusin the fact he really marches to his own distinctive vision and beat. Nad Sylvan is like the ‘Second Coming’ to Peter Gabriel. This is probably why Steve Hackett has invited Nad Sylvan on stage on many occasions to perform early Genesis material with The Steve Hackett Band. However as much as he is a reminder of Peter Gabriel, Nad Sylvan also has his own thing going for him and it certainly shines through with his latest offering The Bride Said No.
The Bride Said No is a continuation of his last album Courting The Widow in 2015. The story picks up where the female character is at in her relationship with her potential suitor/husband. This time with The Bride Said No, Nad Sylvan certainly explores much darker subject manner with both the instrumental part and the lyrical vocal part. The Bride Said No is also a little shorter and to the point than Courting The Widow was. Throughout the album there are many things going on and I will point these highlights out going forward.
Bridesmaids is a opening instrumental with special effects to simulate the ocean crashing on to the shore. We already see the female character second guessing or getting cold feet perhaps. The effects and instrumental are done wonderfully here.
The Quarter Master transitions seamlessly with perfect timing from Bridesmaids. This song also displays a very dark side on the album and of Nad Sylvan’s creative prowess. The heavy Hammond style organ already gives this song a deep layer of sheer darkness and conflict within the narrative of the lyrical content. The dark portion from the Hammond Organ also adds a deep layer inside the bass/drum rhythm section. The guitars work on both the stringed section and the rhythm section equally throughout the song. There are effects of people chanting here as well. On the vocal and lyrical narrative the song talks about the adventures into the night of a drunk in the masculine form. The instrumental displays the drunken sailor and his emotions and point of view perfectly. Soon a female vocal comes in as a female character explaining to the narrator specific warnings on the drunken man.
When The Music Dies is a bit of a departure within the concept. It has the appearance of a brief intermission. This incredibly soulful track is a dedication to all the great progressive rock giants we lost over the last few years. The song is written in such a way that it could become a possible single. This is also written, recorded and mastered in such a way as to have some appeal for those who are not really into this brand of progressive rock. The instrumental sections alongside the lyrical sections present a warm inviting atmosphere of reflection to the listener.
The White Crown begins with a beautiful eclectic intro that comes in the tradition of early Genesis, especially the Foxtrot and Trespass eras. This track also ventures into the ‘Heavy Prog’territory with a much heavier and darker chord progression that is met with a deep Hammond style organ and heavy 1970’s style progressive rhythm sections. By this point on The Bride Said No the listener starts to see that this epic story explores the darker emotions and the instrumental and vocal certainly adds much towards those darker emotions. There is a part where the synth’s go out into a more psychedelic area. The irony is that in all the dark instrumental sections, Nad Sylvan’s voice always remains as a positive optimism about it. This part of the story lyrically is one of heartbreak and introspection.
What Have You Done starts out with a beautiful piano and keyboard in perfect melody within their respective isolation on the engineered intro. Soon another layer of isolation appears in form of Nad Sylvans eccentric angelic vocal. This song can constitute as a ballad easily. The slower and lighter aesthetic allows the album to breathe and the listener more time to soak in and digest the album. The listener is able to look backward on the story and anticipate that latter half of the album. There is some beautiful guitar work on this one from Steve Hackett and Guthrie Govan. The special effect of a choir on here adds another layer of beauty to the composition.
Crime Of Passion opens up with a angelic atmosphere of a choir once again. Soon the track starts to rock on all cylinders with the deep rhythm sections and guitars. This track brings together elements of 1970’s original progressive rock with 1980’s neo progressive rock with very current and modern elements. With all those elements happening this song would hold up in any decade of progressive rock. This song lyrically has the male character in the story start to really question himself in relation to his potential bride. The instrumental half of this perfectly supports this introspective emotion.
A French Kiss In A Italian Cafe starts out with Tony Levin leading with a beautiful stand up bass with the drums. Soon the isolated vocal of Nad Sylvan shines through where the story can so eloquently be told. This track is very heavy in the rhythm section. It is this rhythm section that adds layers of beauty and layers of atmosphere to maintain the attention of the objective listener. The drum plays heavily off the snare on this one moving it forward with great continuity and grace. Sheona Urquhart lends a very beautiful Saxophone in the closing moments of the track.
The Bride Said No starts with a intro that is slowly faded in through world class engineering. One again the opening is very heavy on the on rhythm with a beautiful bass and snare lead drums. This is the first time in the story on the narrative we experience actual dialogue between the female and male characters. Sheona Urquhart & Jade Li has such a Kate Bush style of beauty in her vocal that perfectly compliments Nad Sylvan’s male narrative. Although they really love one another the male and female characters they come to the realization it may be better to depart and go their separate ways for their own personal reasons. The instrumental side to this has beautiful Hammond style organs and guitar solo’s that give the song the epic countenance it truly is. Instrumentally the track ends on a very positive and uplifting note.
After Courting The Widow and now its companion The Bride Said No I truly believe that Nad Sylvan has some very pivotal here. Please go back and listen to Courting The Widow first and then The Bride Said No will make better sense. These projects have great potential to be live classics. I certainly hope Nad Sylvan does perform both of these in their entirety live someday with some CD/DVD Bluray treatment. Through emotion and top notch musicianship The Bride Said No is on its way to becoming a ‘Prog Classic’. With The Bride So No, Nad Sylvan has established himself as a force to be reckoned with. I give Nad Sylvan’s The Bride Said No a 5/5.
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