by Robert 'Unlce Prog' Brady | Oct 9, 2016 | Reviews
Melodic Revolution Records Series (#3.2)
Murky Red | No Pocus Without Hocus
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Release Year: 2015
Country: Belgium
Genre: Progressive Stoner Rock
Band Members
Stef Flaming – Songwriting/Guitars & Vocals
Rene Martraux – Drums
Yolanda Flaming – Keyboards & Vocals
Patrick Dujardin – Guitars
Luke Lantin – Bass
Marie Vancamp – Backing Vocals & Percussion
Track Listing
Pixelated Friends
Stoned & Horny
Sweet Dark Hypnosis
She’s Crying Diamonds
Nothing Can Go Wrong
A Wooden Groove
Collateral Damage (ft. Colin Tench)
Bad Wolf Of The Pack
Wildflower
Mermaids
Elena
Contact Links
Murky Red Official Website
Murky Red Official Melodic Revolution Records Profile
Murky Red Official Facebook Page
Murky Red Official Twitter
Murky Red Official YouTube Channel
Melodic Revolution Records Official Website
Melodic Revolution Records Official Store
In the last installment of the Melodic Revolution Records series I covered Murky Red’s debut album Time Doesn’t Matter. This is part 2 of 2 of my Murky Red’s sophomoric offering No Pocus Without Hocus 2015. Since we last left off the band has gone through some major industry growing pains and even some personnel changes. However still at the core of the band are Stefan and Yolanda Flaming and Marie Vancamp. This one is also mixed and mastered by Colin Tench (Corvus Stone, Karibow and Colin Tench Project). Joining the band this time around are Rene Martraeux – Drums, Patrick Dujardin – Guitars and Luke Lantin – Bass.
Murky Red’s No Pocus Without Hocus continues the progressive, psychedelic, stoner sounds of the latter part of the 1960’s to the middle 1970’s. Keep in mind although the band is heavily influenced from that time period they manage to present the music and compositions with a modern sound and flavour. The music is never dated whatsoever. Much like their debut Time Doesn’t Matter, No Pocus Without Hocus maintains a level of sense of humour with its lyrical content. The band present the music seriously without taking themselves serious at the same time. Considering what the band has had to go through and endure between albums I would say the sense of humour in the music was probably therapy for them in the writing, recording and production process.
No Pocus Without Hocus is a much more melodic album. While many of the same fuzzy distorted elements have remained the melodies and vocal harmonies have both increased and matured since Time Doesn’t Matter. The guitar solos have a much cleaner sound to them but it still does not take away from the band’s unique signature sound. This album also has 11 tracks on it much like Time Doesn’t Matter did. Now a few highlights from each track on what is No Pocus Without Hocus.
Pixelated Friends begins with a thunderous almost brooding drum beat before the signature fuzzy distortion of stoner rock kicks in. This song is very tuned down and very methodical in its nature. It is as if it is stalking the senses of the listener. Lyrically it is about the contemporary subject of our lives online particularly in the area of social media. The guitars interchange between rhythmic to lead chord progression. The Hammond Organ gives this a very eerie and haunting quality to the music. The Hammond is very Jon Lord style in nature.
Stoned & Horny is a tale about being out late at the party all night and being both blasted and having to have another desire met. The band perform this is a very comical and funny way to remove any serious stigmata from the title subject matter. The keyboards are more like Ray Manzerek from The Doors with songs like Love Her Madly and When The Music Over. The guitar solo is very bluesy in its nature. This song is a very laid back composition to allow the listener to breathe and come into the atmosphere created instead of being overwhelmed by it. The rhythm section really serves as the spine of the track.
Sweet Dark Hypnosis is the typical stoner rock song with heavy distorted fuzzy rhythm guitars and a very laid back atmosphere in the drum/bass rhythm section. The Hammond style keyboard keep this in a vintage passage. This track is a lighter side of Black Sabbath’s Sweetleaf meets Deep Purple’s Child In Time. The drum almost has a double blast beat appeal towards the end.
She’s Crying Diamonds is a subtle track that opens with a very low mellow chord progression of bass drum and snare along with a subtle piano atmosphere carrying the instrumental while the vocal is very clearly telling a story. This track does not have any typical 4/4 going on. There are various time signatures that make up this composition that really qualify it as a progressive track. Almost elements of Camel.
Nothing Can Go Wrong starts out with a very heavy doom rock vibe with a brooding yet deliberate bass/rhythm section. The rhythm section has jazz elements present through the filter of a doom style of metal like Trouble and Black Sabbath. The lead guitar even ventures into a slightly sleaze area much in the vein of Jimmy Paige of Led Zeppelin. The psychedelic chord progressions remind me a lot of what Paul Kantner would write and orchestrate within Jefferson Airplane compositions.
A Wooden Grove reminds me a lot of Black Sabbath with tracks like Black Sabbath and Iron Man yet with slight jazz and psychedelic elements. The bass has some slight elements of what Jaco Pastorios would do solo and with Weather Report. Towards the middle to the end it takes a very uncanny NWOBHM galloping style towards the outro.
Collateral Damage (ft. Colin Tench) is a very bluesy oriented track. Colin Tench adds his own unique flavour to the piece without taking away from Murky Red’s own individual unique and distinctive sound. The fuzzy distorted rhythm based guitar and drum/bass sections are all still in place but with a more straight away classic rock progression.
Bad Wolf Of The Pack begins with a lush heavy psychedelic atmosphere created by the a combination of drums, bass, guitar and keyboards. This starts out very much like a Bad Company or Free track with slight jazz melodic elements. The unsung hero in this track is the underlying percussion section done so well by Marie Vancamp. The percussion almost has a island flavour to it and even a slight reggae element to it.
Wildflower starts off with a very haunting piano passage that give the listener the illusion that the piano is being played in a very open warehouse space. It is very subtle and allows for the listener space to breathe in its presentation. It has a very heavy psychedelic element attached to it. The vocals are warm much like a ballad. This is a love story of sadness yet comforting due to the clean atmospheres and cleaner guitar melodies. This is a potential gateway track that can easily be a single if released as one. The drums also in a strange way add to the warmth of the composition as well. Even the lead guitar solos have such a depth of warmth to them.
Mermaids starts with some serious psychedelic elements both instrumentally and lyrically. The drum/bass rhythm section deeply anchors this track while the warm vocals and guitars add beautiful layers to the song. Depending on how the listener interprets the lyrical content it can be seen as a song of escape or a hallucination
Elena starts out as a church style pipe organ for the intro and remains as one of the anchoring instruments throughout the song. This track has a very heavy Sgt Pepper vibe about it from the start. From their the subtle atmospheres and relaxed piano and acoustics provide for a perfect cool down for the listener to digest the album they just listened to. This track has some heavy classical elements perfect for the acoustics of a intimate setting such as a theater. The drums and percussion serve much like they would as part of a symphony orchestra. The track does pick up quite a bit into a more straight away rock track however with heavy psychedelic and progressive elements lying on top of it.
No Pocus Without Hocus is a much more melodic and orchestral album by nature. It really displays the band’s willingness to venture into more melodic and harmonious territory. It also shows the huge step of maturity towards the writing process. This album has a sense of humour while telling 11 very different stories. Murky Red are certain to find an audience of people who appreciate older more traditional psychedelic, progressive stoner style rock meanwhile attracting a much younger audience with all the modern elements they incorporate into their music. I give Murky Red’s No Pocus Without Hocus a 4.5/5.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQRWmurYvPc]
Video Courtesy of (Murky Red Official YouTube Channel)
Written By: Robert ‘Uncle Prog’ Brady
by Robert 'Unlce Prog' Brady | Sep 21, 2016 | Reviews
Melodic Revolution Records Review Series | Marco Ragni Artist (#1)
Marco Ragni | Mother From The Sun
Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Release Year: 2014
Country: Italy/International
Genre: Progressive Psychedelic Rock
Band Members
Marco Ragni – Voices/Acoustic Guitar/Electric Guitar/Keyboards/Bass/Mellotron/Orchestral Arrangements/Drum Programming
Giovanni Menarello – Acoustic Guitar On Tracks 2-7-8-12
Enrico Cpollini – Electric Guitar on Track 2-4
Davde Gazzi – Acoustic Guitar on Track 2
Enrico Di Stefano – Saxophone on Tracks 1-4-8-12
Lugi Iacobone – Flute on Tracks 4-5-8-10-11
Pamela Anna Polland – Backing Vocals on Tracks 11-13
Alessandra Pirani – Backing Vocal on Track 5
Sliva Mazzetto – Vocal on Track 11
The Bizzare Talisman Choir – ‘Folks Voices’ on Track 4
Track Listing
CD 1 The Rise And Fall Of Human Heart
- Into The Wheel Of Time
- Sea Of Vibes
- Haven Of Marble
- Faint Memory
- The Light Is Burning
- Get Out Of Here
CD 2 The Awakening Of Consciousness
- Far Beyond The Line
- The First Time I Saw The Sun
- Skies Painted By The Wind
- In The Air
- Breathing
- Northern Light
- Mother From The Sun
Contact Links
Marco Ragni Official Website
Marco Ragni Official Melodic Revolution Records Profile
Marco Ragni Official Facebook Page
Marco Ragni Official Twitter
Marco Ragni Official YouTube Channel
Melodic Revolution Records Official Website
Melodic Revolution Records Official Store
It is a cool dusk night in the desert. You have the top down on the convertible . You are heading towards the top of a small mountain summit and just come as close to the night skyline as you can get. You adjust the CD changer making sure that the music can be as you take your significant other and you both lay on top of the hood of the convertible. As you look at one another hand in hand, you look up at the starlit night line. The first sound from the CD in the car is that of raindrops of the Into The Wheel Of Time off of Marco Ragni’s Mother From The Sun double concept CD.
As I approached this article about this double concept album, the above event I just described played over and over again in the vast film screen in the theater of my own mind. The more I listened to this, album the more vivid the imagery was in the theater of my mind. Marco has a very uncanny ability to transport the listener out of their respective comfort zones and to indulge into the world he paints on his projects. Everything is so well written that the travel in between your world and his is very subtle one. Before you know it, you can not feel for yourself anymore as the music takes you into Marco’s alternate reality.
When I began my approach to this double concept album, I did so with my normal defenses and expectations. This soon gave way and I was stripped of any expectations, scoring systems my normal defenses and what I look for in a album. Marco writes and produces in such a way where the listener must forfeit all those preconceived notions mentioned above and allow Marco to take you the listener into the world he intended for you to see and hear.Marco Ragni does what I call ‘Gentlemens Prog, meaning he has a very minimal approach that allows the listener to feel invited into his melodic world and not overwhelmingly forced to accept it because it slaps you in the face. Mother From The Sun demonstrates the Genius that truly is Marco Ragni. With Marco Ragni’s songwriter and partner/wife Alessandra Pirani , Mother From The Sun has both a masculine and feminine personalities within the compositions of the songs.
Lyrically the album is based entirely on one very personal subject matter. It celebrates the life of a mother to her son. The album talks about all aspects to the relationship of mother and son. Frankly I have not felt such conceptual introspection and reflection since Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Mother From The Sun blends both modern progressive rock elements to late 1960’s psychedelia. Here are some highlights from Mother From The Sun of both CD’s The Rise And Fall Of The Human Heart CD 1 & The Awakening Of Consciousness CD 2 .
CD 1 The Rise And Fall Of The Human Heart
This one opens up with a lush beautiful ballad called Into The Wheel Of Time. This song opens up this journey with semi electric yet atmospheric flair. Warm vocals and and heavy jazz style horns serve as a great backdrop for the listener. This serves very well as the introductory track for the album. When you get to the next track Sea of Vibes, Marco already takes you on a 15+ minute journey about the boy’s early childhood.
Sea Of Vibes starts as a very lush heavy acoustic guitar passage with Marco’s ethereal vocals in harmony with a atmospheric touch. The track takes a up tempo semi electric semi folk passage. At about the 3:00 mark the track takes on a beautiful sound effect from nature’s outdoors. It is as if Marco is trying to convey such a innocence for early life. Lyrically the track takes a very unusual darkness with such a upbeat instrumental. However Marco makes both work in harmony towards his main objective. The track continues with more atmospheric folk layers than the usual time signature swift changes. Marco starts to really demonstrate his storytelling prowess both lyrically and instrumentally. With some patience and focus the listener can really get caught up in the journey of Mother From The Sun starting at Sea Of Vibes.
Painting serves as the perfect segue track to the next epic Haven Of Marble .
Haven Of Marble is the next in three major epics on the album as a collective. This one clocks at 17+ minutes. Like Sea Of Vibes before it, Haven Of Marble also paints a lush atmospheric instrumental section as well as a lyrical one. This is one of those classic cases where the boy has big dreams and the talent to effectively achieve those dreams. However due to some jealousy or the wishes of the will of the mother she starts trying to discourage the boy from pursuit of the interests he is passionate about meeting. Instrumentally Marco allows the track to breathe and develop its own character and personality with the way he goes from upbeat rhythm tempos to outright psychedelic atmospheres around the 7:30 mark in the track. The unspoken word portions are used to bring the heavy handed personality of the authority figure as they tell the boy he can or can not do what his dreams and desires are. With this being a 17+ minute epic it allows for Marco to really explore the childhood of the boy in great depth and detail.
Faint Memory is a beautiful introspective ballad that puts a high emphasis on both acoustic guitar and piano passages. At times it lightly visits folk and psychedelic elements as well. Marco adds some very warm vocal textures to this as well.
The Light Is Burning starts with a vocal harmony almost at the level of Crosby, Stills & Nash. This track also places a higher emphasis on acoustical progression chords with keyboard atmospheres in the backdrop. Marco always seems to take elements people deem old or ‘out of touch’ like the folk elements and make them fresh and modern again.
Get Out Of Here continues with the beauty of harmony and the sweet spot of melody. Marco has already established that he can perfectly combine instrumental atmospheres with modern acoustical guitar elements all in harmony to the lead and backing vocals.
CD 2 The Awakening Of Consciousness
In this half of Mother From The Sun we start to see the boy grow up and develop interpersonal skills to accomplish his goals and dreams despite the rocky relationship with his mother and stepfather. The boy starts to become a man and we begin to see some rites of passage crossed. This half of the album is a little bit heavier with a lot more attitude in the writing, recording, producing and mastering. Marco manages to do this without both sides sounding like they are stand alone albums and still maintaining the course and main objective of the double concept album that is Mother From The Sun. Once again Marco uses a epic to explain this transition in the boy’s life with a 22+ minute epic Far Beyond The Line.
Far Beyond The Line opens up with a intimate psychedelic piano passage that soon draws a big vocal harmony to its isolation. The opener really allows the listener to remain engulfed in the introspective personality to the the content of the song. This track here has a lot of Pink Floyd influence with the various chord progressions inside every passage whether on a stringed or rhythm section based passage.
The track is a lot heavier than the recent songs on the album. It will appeal to prog purists or just lovers of classic hard rock. Around the 11:30 mark the song takes on some heavy jazz elements to make the track a lot less predictable. The listener certainly will never be bored anywhere within the album. This also serves as the perfectly arranged track in which a transition happens towards another half of the album in its sound. A sound that is more based within hard progressive classic rock.
The First Time I Saw The Sun is a 1:09 segue transitional track with tight rhythm sections and piano accented tracks.
Skies Painted By The Wind begins with a heavy folk passage with the flute as a anchor instrument. The song continues with open and vast passages both in the stringed and rhythmic sections. Once again Marco’s vocal really conveys the emotion in the harmony much like the guitar either acoustic or electric does in the stringed section. The message and images the album continues to paint really shine through on this one.
Skies Painted By The Wind begins with a heavy folk passage with the flute as a anchor instrument. The song continues with open and vast passages both in the stringed and rhythmic sections. Once again Marco’s vocal really conveys the emotion in the harmony much like the guitar either acoustic or electric does in the stringed section. The message and images the album continues to paint really shine through on this one.
In The Air starts with a beautiful semi electric guitar passage with Marco’s warm vocals anchor the progressive atmosphere. The rhythm Section soon kicks in and takes the track in a whole other direction. This song seems to sound like two in songs into one. The track is also anchored by a beautiful female vocal as well.
Breathing is another transitional track just a little over 1:00 long. It has a high emphasis both on semi acoustic guitars with a horned section atmosphere. They combine in a semi psychedelic passage.
Northern Light really takes off with a traditional progressive hard rock mentality. This track is also anchored by both rhythm based and vocal harmony based sections performing in melodic harmony with one another. There is also a great guitar solo in the middle to bridge both halves of the track.
Mother From The Sun is a basic reprise of how the double concept opened. The lyrical content and instrumental content really bring the entire double concept full circle. The boy has matured into a man by this point and begins his life as an adult.
With over 2 + hours of well written and recorded progressive/psychedelic rock, Mother From The Sun is one of those innovative blueprint albums that will help the posterity of progressive psychedelic rock. Marco Ragni was able to incorporate traditional progressive elements into Mother From The Sun and still place modern elements within the project. This is definitely the most personal project of his career. It is certainly a album I would love to hear live in its entirety someday. Marco even had a world class roster of musicianship that made this the masterpiece it instantly is. Since this project is over 2 years old I will not score it. I will say this is a future classic people will talk about 20-50 years from now in the vein of Yes’ Tales From Topographic Oceans, Jethro Tull’s Thick As A Brick or even Can’s conceptual masterpiece Tago Mago. or Pink Floyd’s Darkside Of The Moon and The Wall.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAneC92DFdc]
Video Courtesy of (Marco Ragni’s Official YouTube Channel)
