After two solo records and work with several guitar legends, Nili Brosh (Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil, Tony MacAlpine) is no stranger to instrumental guitar albums. However, her latest effort Spectrum steps beyond the expected and into a global exploration of musical genres. A literal spectrum, the album seamlessly blends from one genre to the next, starting in one place and ending up in a completely different one; all the while suggesting that music – much like humans – is all the same. Spectrum will be released on December 20th.
Opening with the Spanish flavor of “Cartagena” and “Andalusian Fantasy”, Brosh effortlessly demonstrates the gentle power of conveying melodies on a nylon string guitar. Fusing into the European folk-inspired “Circus Wedding” and Parisian flavored “Rachel in Paris”, accordionist Hubert Gall makes a guest appearance and takes us further into the stylistic journey. What was Parisian blends into the chill R&B inspired “Solace”, which is where we first hear Brosh’s electric guitar versatility and soaring solos. The transition to a more fusion-esque and progressive sound occurs with ‘Retractable Intent’ and ‘Desert déjà vu’, before finally moving toward the screaming dance-inspired heavy leads of “Djentrification” and “Primal Feels”. Listening in one sitting, one may feel the transitions sneak up on them, at the end arriving at the question “how did I get here?”.
The official music video for the single “Primal Feels”, released September 3, follows a similar concept of diversity and comprises a multi-ethnic cast of male dancers joining Brosh to visually enhance the song melodies. With dazzling film-like cinematography, the dancers mimic Brosh’s musical vocabulary in a style reminiscent of those classic ‘80s and ‘90s music videos. With their visual interpretation of the strong melodic hooks of “Primal Feels”, the dancers remind us once again that people – like music – are all the same.
“Primal Feels” music video is performed by Angel Xplosion Anaya, Amaleke Kidd Bradley, Nili Brosh, Manine Kim, Gabi Torres. Shot and directed by A&G Productions Choreography by Gabi Torres
Spectrum is performed by Alex Argento, Nili Brosh, Mariko Friend, Hubert Gall, Pete Lockett, Eli Marcus, Alon Mei-Tal, Gretchen Menn, Ray Rojo.
Track Listing:
Cartagena
Andalusian Fantasy
Circus Wedding
Rachel In Paris
Solace
Retractable Intent
Desert Deja Vu
Djentrification
Primal Feels
Resistance Piece
Spectrum will be available on CD and digital download via Nili Brosh’s webstore and all major online retailers (Previous releases are also available through the same outlets): https://www.hellomerch.com/collections/nili-brosh
BRYAN BELLER’S NEW SOLO WORK, ‘SCENES FROM THE FLOOD’, AN EPIC-SCALE MODERN PROGRESSIVE DOUBLE CONCEPT ALBUM, TO BE RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 13TH, 2019;PRE-ORDERS NOW AVAILABLE
As a bassist and composer, Bryan Beller (The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Dethklok, Steve Vai) has never been accused of being insufficiently driven. But nothing he’s done before can truly prepare audiences for his newest release, the massively ambitious and unapologetically progressive double concept album Scenes From The Flood, scheduled for worldwide release on September 13th, now available for pre-order at bryanbeller.com.
A work so sweeping in scale that it took Beller nearly a decade to conceive, compose, and now fully realize, the album grapples with an existential question: When the storm comes for us, the big one after which things will not be the same, who are we and what do we become in those defining moments? What do we keep, and what do we let go? Scenes From The Flood explores themes of ambition and loss, intentionality and reality, hope and disillusionment, and uses every second of its 18-song, 88-minute running order to tell an emotionally consuming and unforgettable musical story.
Realizing Beller’s vision meant enlisting 26 musicians spread across four continents to bring Scenes From The Flood to life. Special guests on guitar include legends Joe Satriani (on the optimistic, “road trip” vibed opening track “Volunteer State”), John Petrucci (who lays down a screaming lead on the 9-minute story-climactic progressive epic “World Class”), Guthrie Govan (taking the lead on the album’s closing ballad “Sweet Water”), and Mike Keneally (going from layered acoustics on one track to furious metal riffing on another), just four of fourteen total guitarists who appear on the album. Drummers include veterans Gene Hoglan (Dethklok, Strapping Young Lad, Death), Joe Travers (Zappa Plays Zappa, Joe Satriani), Ray Hearne (Haken), and Nate Morton (Cher, The Voice)
uly 1st marked the debut of the animated video for one of the album’s signature tunes, “The Storm”, a dark and heavy odyssey that serves as one of the signature compositions of Beller’s new opus. The 7-minute piece features the aforementioned metal legend Gene Hoglan on drums and an army of four guitarists to deliver the song’s urgent, powerful message. See it here:
“Not exactly light fare, is it?” chuckles Beller, who just turned 48. “But all of my truly favorite albums take me to deep, sometimes challenging places, even upon repeated listening. Especially the double albums. Somewhere inside me, in the eleven years since my last solo album, I’d absorbed and processed a series of life experiences that, I thought, could possibly inform an extended work like this. I felt like I had something big and complex to say. And then I just dove into it.”
Presented in the classic format of four vinyl sides (or four “parts” on two CD’s), Scenes From The Flood was inspired by hallowed progressive double-albums like Pink Floyd’s The Walland Yes’ Tales From Topographic Oceans, as well as more modern expanded works, such as Nine Inch Nails’ The Fragile. The deluxe packaging (2CD 8-panel digipak + two 20-page double-CD booklets; 2LP gatefold + 24-page full-size booklet) reveals not just album artwork, but unique cover-style artwork for each of the eighteen songs, or “scenes”. The resulting sense of story urgency and dramatic narrative presents like a soundtrack to a movie suspense thriller as much as it does a double album. A limited run of 200 colored (purple) vinyl will also be produced.
Scenes From The Flood is performed by: Christopher Allis, Bryan Beller, Nili Brosh, Paul Cartwright, Darran Charles, Julian Coryell, Mike Dawes, Janet Feder, Guthrie Govan, Ray Hearne, Gene Hoglan, Mike Keneally, Jamie Kime, Fred Kron, Teddy Kumpel, Jake Howsam Lowe, Evan Mazunik, Nate Morton, Rick Musallam, Mike Olekshy, Griff Peters, John Petrucci, Matt Rohde, Joe Satriani, Rishabh Seen, Joe Travers, Leah Zeger
PART ONE The Scouring Of Three & Seventeen Volunteer State Everything And Nothing A Quickening Steiner In Ellipses
PART TWO Always Worth it Lookout Mountain The Storm The Flood
PART THREE Bunkistan As Advertised Army Of The Black Rectangles The Outer Boundary Angles & Exits
PART FOUR The Inner Boundary World Class Sweet Water Let Go Of Everything
Scenes From The Flood will be released on September 13th, 2019. Pre-orders are now available. All studio and live releases from Bryan Beller can be purchased at http://bryanbeller.com
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