KARMAKANIC - WHO’S THE BOSS IN THE FACTORY
An exceptional album, still played regularly fourteen years later, including one of those tracks which pulls at the heartstrings.
This is a cracking, fantastic LP.
The opener, Send a Message from the Heart, has epic written all over it, clocking in at over 19 minutes. The start is amusing when little boy grabs hold of the microphone and begins to sing. This gives way to a track full of keyboard and guitar solos of epic proportions and some incredible vocals by Goran Edman. As you would expect from a symphonic band's track of such a length, there are many mood changes, varying from the delicate to the very heavy. It is a very complex piece of music and more than worth the price of the album alone, although, as I will make clear, even this is not the highlight of the album.
Things get a lot heavier on Lost in Hollywood, as an acoustic beginning gives way to a powerful riff. It's very good, certainly for those who enjoy the heavier side of prog.
The title track clocks in at over 13 minutes, and I absolutely adore the thoughtful intro with piano and bass to the fore. The bass playing on this track by Jonas Reingold absolutely deserves special mention. When my wife & I played this for the first time at the weekend, both of us said it could well be Chris Squire - there is no higher compliment. At times reminiscent of Floyd, at others Yes, there are also some heavier moments, but throughout the musicianship is superb, and the mid One by One, Step by Step passage is a joy to listen to, with the bass literally holding all together. The guitar solo towards the end is also epic, with large and loud organ bringing a great track to a pulsating close.
Two Blocks from the Edge is easily the darkest piece of the album, and the sax pieces are very enjoyable. The rhythm section again keeps the track moving along at a fair pace. The guitar solos are, again, a joy for anyone who was brought up on hard rock. This track rocks.
Then to the conclusion, Eternally Parts 1 & 2. Quite simply the best new prog I have heard in many years. I am not familiar with the history of the band members, as such, but it is dedicated to family members who clearly died in a car crash. Part One is a lovely piano solo, and then part two really does tug at the heartstrings. Piano and bass in tandem create a melancholic mood. There are strings to add to this, and the whole piece shrieks with loss. Then, after one & a half minutes, Edman kicks in with such a heartfelt vocal, accompanied by an accordion solo (certainly the finest I've heard in prog). This track simply cannot be compared to any other band or influence - it is utterly unique. Again, when we first listened to this at the weekend, we were both reduced to utter silence, before I was instructed to place it on my wife's MP3 player - there is, believe me, no higher honour from someone not naturally predisposed to prog. But the mood, playing, including one of the finest guitar solos I have ever heard in 32 odd years, make a track that pulls you into a tragic event, but also uplifts you in the way that only the finest such tracks do.
An incredible album and pretty much essential.
PENDRAGON - PURE
Very heavy at times, this is an interesting album from UK veterans. Cracking cover as well!
Sometimes, the easiest thing in the world to do is to stick to a tried and tested formula, and sort of meander along satisfying a loyal base of fans.
That would have been the easy thing to do for Pendragon, one of the most important bands to come out of the new prog wave in the UK in the 1980's.
Thankfully, for all of us, and I say this not to decry their earlier efforts, which I love, they have, with this latest release, shown themselves to be a true progressive band, in that they have built upon the already incredible foundations, and taken their music to a new level.
The opener, Indigo, is a good case in question. At turns extremely heavy, in line with much of the better heavy prog of recent times such as Riverside, but also fantastically melodic, witness the exceptional guitar work by Barrett, who sounds as if he really means it. This track is, at turns, symphonic, heavy, and melodic. In other words, it has everything, and is a fantastic epic track which makes you know that you are going to enjoy the whole experience.
After this experience, Eraserhead opens in the same mood of intensity, before reverting to more familiar type, with some nice Barrett vocals. Very heavy, though, and quite moody.
There is a three-part epic, by the name of Comatose. It is supreme, prog at its best. The first part, View From The Seashore, is the longest, and I just love the contrast in mood with what went before. Keyboards and vocals create a very satisfying melancholic mood here, prior to returning to the extremely heavy riffs that went before. When the mood changes, it does so with an intensity which is almost too much to bear. It ends with a fantastic violin concerto, which leads nicely into part two of the epic, Space Cadet, which commences with the same level of pace which preceded much of it, but then slows down for the introduction to Home And Dry, the final part of the epic track.
This is, by far, the most recognisable part of the album so far to traditional Pendragon fans. It is wonderfully atmospheric, with some bittersweet vocals and lyrics, accompanied by a band at the top of their game in creating a true symphonic wonder.
The opening of Freak Show takes us back to the almost metallic vibe, but this does, very shortly, lead us into a fantastic melodic guitar solo by Barrett. A track of changing contrasts and moods, very direct, and lyrically, very clever in its nods to musical and personal influences. Nolan's keyboards, by the way, make a welcome return to the fore at the end of the track.
The album closes with It's Only Me. This is a wonderfully atmospheric track, perhaps reminiscent of Porcupine Tree at their best., which deals with childhood. It features quite the most fantastic guitar solo at its heart as the track begins to play to its close.
This is an album of huge contrasts. Heavy, moody, dark, beautiful, it has it all. They are a very good band, who have tried to do something a little bit different and should be applauded for this.
MAGENTA - METAMORPHOSIS
Very solid 2008 release
From 2008, this is the latest release from Magenta and is one that certainly makes you hope that the promised new material will finally arrive in 2011.
As with previous releases, this is a band that wears its influences on its sleeve, so with the opening epic track, The Ballad Of Samuel Layne, we get a massive slice of music that, in parts, could very easily have fitted into any Yes or Renaissance album. It's very good, but, to these ears, just too long, meandering, and certainly varying in quality to attain any kind of masterpiece epic status.
I adore the shorter track, Prekestolen, which follows. This is a fantastic track which takes its influence directly from Mike Oldfield's more New Age material but turns it into something unique and flowing. The pipes, and a very strong vocal performance by Christina Booth, make this a joy.
The title track itself is a massive slice of music running at just over 23 minutes. This is far more consistent and flowing than the opening track, and a mark of this is that you, at no stage, feel that the track is meandering. The bass work is about as good as you will get outside of a certain Mr Squire, and, of course, passages scream Yes at you, including some quite phenomenal keyboard work. However, to merely describe it as Yes influenced would, I feel, somewhat demean it, in that the music flows into many different moods and influences, including a very strong Floydian tinge at times and the type of folk prog that I think the band are best at performing. The vocal performance is never anything less than accomplished, and the band themselves have rarely sounded as tight and determined as they do on this hugely enjoyable piece, especially on the gorgeous acoustic phases.
The title track flows effortlessly into the closer, Blind Faith, which clocks in at over six minutes. A quiet opening misleads us a little bit, because there is some mighty riffing here amongst the introspective and intense quieter passages. A very solid track which packs a great deal of mood swings and tempo changes in such a short time. Again, maybe a greater emphasis on this song length might be a solid direction for the band to follow, because the two shorter tracks are never filler material at all, but, instead, extremely strong and versatile.
This is a difficult album to rate overall. It is certainly not a masterpiece, but parts of it are quite excellent, and you certainly get an extremely good band musically.
ASIA - PHOENIX
The return of the prodigal supergroup. Loathed by many a purist, it really is a rather good album.
The return of the prog supergroup that is Asia. Actually, they hadn't really been away, but I always had a profound disdain for the John Payne era, and this was THE Asia reunion that we had all wanted.
Incredibly commercially successful in their 1980's heyday, prior to egos getting bashed and bumped all the way into band oblivion, this reunion has, certainly in the context of modern progressive rock, been a success, albeit not in the truck loads of records sold in days gone past.
The massive theme of this album was the near fatal heart problems vocalist John Wetton suffered shortly before the project was originally due to go ahead, and, it must be said, this profound experience led to some of the finest pop/prog being recorded in a very long time.
With such a stellar line-up, the musicianship is superb throughout, and you instantly notice that Steve Howe got his wish to be far more directly involved in both recording, playing, writing, and production. For the first time since the debut classic, his incredible guitar signature comes out loud, proud, and clear. In fact, this is one of his finest works. Just listen to that glorious work on Heroine, a wonderful track in which Wetton gives praise to the support from his loved one when almost dying, and Howe, to these ears, tells the story as well as the lyricist and vocalist himself. It's a wonderful track, very commercial, and very effective.
As well as the distinctly commercial stuff such as the single Never Again, which is good without being memorable, and the incredible An Extraordinary Life, there are also some extremely good pure prog rock moments. For those who remember Wildest Dreams, a classic from the debut, this should not be much of a surprise. The opening to Sleeping Giant/No Way Back/Reprise could almost be from a classic Yes album, with Howe sounding as if he was recording Close To The Edge, Downes a la Wakeman, and Palmer doing a Bruford with percussion, added into which are some memorable choral vocals. The main theme of the track, which commences with a blasting synth solo, is pure progressive rock, jazzy and symphonic in its intention and execution. A superb track.
In addition, Parallel Worlds/Vortex/Deya features some of Howe's most sublime work, and quite why it wasn't played on the subsequent tour is beyond me. A progressive rock masterpiece, to be sure. Symphonic, melodic, and amongst some of the best instrumental passages ever recorded following the vocal section, it really is that good.
There are a couple of throwaway moments, notably I Will Remember You and Over And Over, but, by and large, this album is a huge success and a masterful comeback, doing what they always did best, marrying commerciality with fine progressive rock. For no better example, listen to the hugely enjoyable, keyboard led, Alibis, which is both a fine pop song, and features some intricate playing beyond the ken of most pop bands, especially without a Steve Howe to play such technical guitar.
The only real complaint I have is that at Cardiff, on the subsequent tour, I went to see the tour manager after the gig and asked him for a photograph and quick word with the band as a member of ProgArchives. By this time, Wetton, Howe, and Palmer had left, leaving only Downes enjoying a family party (he is Welsh). The manager asked Downes, who gave a resounding no. Miserable ****!.
This is a hugely enjoyable album and very highly recommended.
MARILLION - HAPPINESS IS THE ROAD
Double album which when I originally wrote about it, I regarded as the finest album since, well, the last finest album.
It is a good album with a couple of genuine highlights, but not a classic.
The original review of this album on Prog Archives was my first for that site, and as with most debut reviews on review sites such as PA, it was gushing and in the “fanboy” zone. I compared it to Brave & Marbles.
Rewriting the review in July 2022 (and this is the only historical review I have rewritten because I am not ashamed of what I write and they are all snapshots of my thinking at the time) was necessary because this is not a classic. It is a steady and enjoyable Marillion album, but most definitely in League One as opposed to the Premiership of albums.
There is one bona fide classic here and also fine pieces of music to enjoy. I nearly always when on the train facing a long trip to some misbegotten city play This Train Is My Life, a song written for the poor commuting public of GB. Essence is a fine piece of modern psych, Nothing Fills the Hole is a good pop/rock track.
Of the two CDs, the second, The Hard Shoulder is the more creative. The Man from the Planet Marzipan and Asylum Satellite #1 are thoughtful pieces on the album which, as with much of the band’s more pensive tracks, come across far better in the live arena. Whatever Is Wrong With You is a solid single, full of venom.
The classic is, however, saved for last. Real Tears for Sale is a monster of a song, emotional in its depiction of a certain profession, and here Hogarth’s lyrics deal with the human side so effectively. It is pulsating, it rocks along, and is simply one of the finest the band ever recorded.
This is a good album and certainly if you have not got it or heard it, you will find much to enjoy.
STEVEN WILSON - INSURGENTES
It has been interesting to revisit this review from 2008 in the light of the Porcupine Tree comeback album in 2022 which I enjoyed but was not overly enthused with.
Wilson’s solo stuff has enthused me. A Great deal.
I've waited quite some time before writing this review. I wanted to see if my initial impressions were borne out by repeated listens. I'm glad to say they were. This is a fine debut solo LP from one of the leading lights of the new wave of progressive rock. If you love Porcupine Tree, then I think it's safe to say that you will get a lot of pleasure out of this.
The thing that strikes you about the LP is the contrast in moods. Sometimes light and breezy, but in the main very dark, sometimes oppressively so. That is not meant as a criticism, it is just how it is.
There are many highlights on this LP, which contains tracks that are very well written, beautifully performed, and exceptionally produced.
There is an exceptionally melancholic and sad, but quite beautiful, passage of play on Veneno Para Las Hadas. The instrumentals remind me of Floyd at their best.
Significant Other is a more commercial song that features some choral effects married to a great riff and strong bass line.
The title track is a fantastic mellow piece, with some haunting lyrics and vocals accompanied by a very simple, but effective, piano backdrop.
These are but a few examples. Wilson's stature as one of the great guitarists of modern times is absolutely assured with this work. It varies from the nakedly aggressive to the tender, many times in the same track. The moods created by the album demand that you listen, and listen carefully, to appreciate it fully.
This is an excellent addition to any prog collection, and utterly essential for fans of the man's work with Porcupine Tree.
DAVID GILMOUR - LIVE IN GDANSK
A decent enough live recording, but now, as then, I still think that to get the best of Gilmour you need to get to the parent band’s work. Neither he or Waters were the same force without each other.
I have very mixed feelings about this album. I love Gilmour's guitar work and vocal contribution to The Floyd, both of which need no expansion on this site at all.
As previous reviewers have stated, the musicianship and production on this live work are peerless and the late, great, Richard Wright especially is enjoying the whole experience.
The live renderings of Gilmour's enjoyable (but not classic) Island work are fine, and the list of Floyd tracks would melt the hardest heart.
So why only a decent album? Simple - I have rarely enjoyed the post Waters Floyd with the passion I did with him and comparing this to the Waters live set simply does not bear comparison. I always feel that Gilmour simply goes through the motions - the passion and the anger is missing.
Comfortably Numb is not a song by numbers, but the angry and confused conclusion of a series of linked events from childhood to adulthood. You still get that with Waters, but not from this. Somehow, it is all a little too polished for its own good, rather like the tours they did.
There are genuine highlights - A Great Day for Freedom is one, and it is nice to hear Fat Old Sun live again for the first time in donkeys’ years, but for a genuine example of Floyd's work, the Waters live sets or original Floyd LPs win out every time.
Polished, exceptional playing, classic tracks - but not an essential addition to any collection.
MOSTLY AUTUMN - GLASS SHADOWS
It is still beyond me why this fine outfit are not commercially huge, but I suspect that Josh and cohorts would not want it any other way. This is another very strong outing.
I think the band have produced a fantastic LP with this, certainly the best since Passengers, and reminiscent of The Last Bright Light, their best LP, in its outlook.
The album starts strongly with Fireside, which has a blues tint to it and Josh backs with some strong guitar work.
Some reviewers have commented on the more commercial feel to this LP, not necessarily a bad thing, and this is the first track which justifies that charge. As with the Josh & Co LP, Bryan's vocals shine here, tuneful and soulful, wonderfully backed by Heather Findley. It is simply a pleasant track.
I am not altogether keen on Flowers For Guns, simply because the backing vocals grate somewhat. However, this is redeemed somewhat by the lovely flute solo and backing, somewhat making up for the loss of Angela in yet more personnel upheaval for the band. The influence in the lyrics by a certain Mr Fish is obvious!
Unoriginal Sin is superb - an excellent Findlay vocal backed by trademark Josh guitar bursts. Yes, it feels far more Fleetwood Mac than Pink Floyd, but given that both bands were great, that is surely not such a bad thing?
Paper Angels is simply stunning and finds Heather on exquisite vocal form. I also love Jennings piano backing, and his return to the fold is welcome and telling. There is a fantastic Josh solo as well, reminding us all why we started listening to the band in the first place.
Tearing at the Faerytale is also reminiscent of Joshs' solo outing, and none the worse for that. Josh sings heartedly of his heroes, backed again by great guitar work and swirling keyboards, with the rhythm section playing strongly.
Above the Blue is another lovely ballad, with a bit of mellotron thrown in for good measure. Again, Heather's voice is simply beautiful.
Glass Shadows, the title track, is the epic of the album, and I feel it measures up very well to all previous such tracks. Again, the playing is superb, and Jennings’s keyboard textures certainly reminds us of earlier LPs. After a gentle and thoughtful intro, the pace picks up, before closing with soft keyboards. Excellent.
Until The Story Ends is the most profound Celtic track on the LP and moves on at a good pace, again Findlay & Josh interact well together.
The album ends with Different Sky, a jolly bouncy track which is really a pleasant closer rather than a classic.
I have followed this band since the beginning and are by far the best band I know never to have broken into the big time in terms of media exposure. However, this LP should delight long standing and lapsed fans alike, whilst, hopefully, luring more melodic prog fans into the loop.
Very much recommended.
This is the first solo release from the heart & guitar of Mostly Autumn, Bryan Josh.
My lovely wife purchased this from the Mostly Autumn Records website for my birthday, and a fantastic addition to my collection it is too.
Josh has, to my mind, recreated the feel and sound of the earlier MA records which made me a fan in the first place.
The album appears to be a personal recounting of a Josh trip, where he encounters such characters as Jimi Hendrix, Keith Moon, and Freddie Mercury!
The feel of the album is more in keeping with such releases as The Last Bright Light, in other words a lovingly created fusion of prog, Celtic, and folk influences. Josh’s' guitar playing is as vital and powerful as it is on all MA releases, but the huge bonus for me in this album is his singing. The vocals are very much to the fore, soulful, tuneful, and he tells his story well.
I will not go through each individual track, but the standouts for me are The Appian Way and the title track, Through These Eyes. If there were any justice in this world, the former would be a number one single on both sides of the Atlantic - a rocker that also manages to sound commercially vital. The following track, We Graze, is the perfect come down.
Slow Down is a marvellous blues feel track. Old style prog fans will love the keyboards on Going Home. By the time the LP reaches Carry Me, you will be lost in the soundscapes created with the help of a decent set of speakers. Josh is given able support from Olivia Sparnenn, who takes on the Heather Findlay role with considerable aplomb.
A superb LP which all modern progressive music lovers will welcome into their collections.
It is a great shame that Martin Orford has become almost as famous for the manner of his leaving the world of professional music as he was for his immense contribution to it as a founder member of IQ, certainly one of the most important and creative of the bands which exploded out of the UK in the early 1980's. Further, if, as now seems very likely, this is Orford's swansong as a recording artist, then I for one am very sad, because this is, as would be expected, a very accomplished production.
To create this album, Orford invited a host of stars, most notably John Wetton, his old bandmate Mike Holmes, John Mitchell, and Nick D'Virgilio. That they all accepted bears testament to the lure of working with a maestro, because that is certainly what this great man is.
Opener, Grand Designs, weighs in at almost ten minutes, and is instantly recognisable as the type of track that would have sat very nicely indeed on an IQ album. Not only do Orford's keys shine (you would expect them to), but he also proves himself to be a very adept guitar player as well, delivering a lush and proud solo. Bombastic, and recognisably neo, this is a great start.
The pace continues with the marvellous instrumental Power & Speed, which delivers what it says on the tin, really. It moves along at a cracking pace and is thoroughly enjoyable throughout.
I just love the following track, Ray Of Hope, which strikes me as being completely out of kilter with the mood Orford must have been in when this album was recorded, what with financial worries and all else. The pastoral soundscape is lush, and the vocals by David Longden are a joy to behold, and a clear highlight of this album. It is one of those tracks which takes you to another level and has become one of my favourites of the decade.
Wetton makes his first appearance on Take It To The Sun. Here, I suppose, I should provide prospective purchasers of this album reading this review with a warning. If you dislike or hate Asia, then you will find nothing to please you here. This is a track extremely reminiscent of the work produced by Wetton on Omega and Phoenix. I like it a great deal. It is extremely commercial, it is extremely well performed, and is a joy. Much like the day job, I suppose, and Orford is a match for Downes on the ivories any day.
Prelude is a gorgeous short piano piece, which highlights the virtuosity of the man, and this takes us nicely into the title track, and the high point of the album. Steve Thorne shines on acoustic guitar and Colm Murphy on fiddle, and it is a testament to the song writing skills of Orford that he allows space for his guests to be heard in the midst of a keyboard led song. This is one of those songs which I have always enjoyed. An intelligent, and extremely melancholic lyrically, paeon to an England that is virtually gone, certainly in the eyes of those who run the country, and we are all the poorer for it. Orford sings extremely well, and this is simply a fantastic piece of music that should be essential, in my opinion, for all lovers of prog rock, and is another piece of music that puts pay to the fiction that there is nothing original in neo-prog. Yes, there are shades of mid period Genesis stamped all over it, but it is never anything less than a marvellous Orford composition, and, again, would have sat very nicely on either Dark Matter or Frequency by his old band.
Out In The Darkness sees Thorne take lead vocal and guitar duties on a track which takes a pop at all things religious, and that with an intensity which I find slightly surprising, given the importance that organisations such as The Church of England played in the Old England that Orford mourned in the previous track. That ridiculously pedantic niggle aside, this is a very enjoyable rock track, with clear commercial sensitivities and always exceptionally performed.
It's back to the John Wetton show on the longest track on offer on the album, The Time and the Season. As with the other track he appears on, this is magnificently essential for any fan of the work Wetton has done in the latter part of his lengthy career. In other words, if you think he was a bum after Crimson & UK, then this isn't going to change your mind in any way, shape, or form. For my money, this is an enjoyable romp, fantastically produced and performed, and straying very much into more Pomp/Crossover territory quite deliberately.
The album closes with the appropriate Endgame. David Longden is, in my opinion, quite easily the finest vocal performance on this album, the presence of the great and legendary Wetton notwithstanding. His voice is, once again, quite wonderful in its emotion, and this is a truly melancholic piece of music that really needs no explanation, given the events that would unfold. It ends, silently, with only the sound of birdsong to remind us the disc is still playing.
This album is, perhaps somewhat ironically given the manner of Orford's retirement, available as a download from Amazon for the incredibly cheap price of £4.99. Give it a few listens on legal streams such as Spotify, and then I urge you, buy this. I still hold out some hope that Orford can be tempted to return to record again. It doesn't have to be with IQ, because, as Frequency and this album prove, they are both capable of forging a path for themselves and producing damn fine music.
For if this is a swansong, then the loss to our genre and to the music world is a huge one. I rate this as an excellent addition to any prog rock collection, but in doing so, can state that it only just falls short of the masterpiece status that is surely in him for any future release.
Come back Martin. The world of great music is a sight poorer without you.
I have always loved Blackmore's guitar work since the Deep Purple days, and I feel that the criticism levelled at him by Classic Rock magazine (Geoff Barton in particular) is extremely unfair - for no one should be in any doubt, this album rocks and features some marvellous guitar work from the Man in Black.
I also think that Candice Night has matured as a singer a great deal on this album. Empty Words sees her on fine form in a lovely ballad.
The album starts off with a great, almost symphonic, instrumental on God Save The Keg (hear hear!!), and from then traditional songs are interpreted in a thoroughly modern way. I particularly enjoyed the reinterpretation of Rainbow Eyes, one of my favourite Rainbow tracks - Night sings it very well and Blackmore's guitar work is far better than the original.
All fans of Mostly Autumn, Jethro Tull, and other folk orientated prog bands will enjoy this and previous releases. The violin on Gilded Cage is simply stunning and creates such a sweet mood.
Highly recommended.
Scottish veterans return with a fine album.
Abel Ganz are Scottish veterans of the prog scene that burst out of the UK in the 1980's, with the likes of Marillion, Pendragon, Pallas, IQ, and Twelfth Night. Although this is one of my favourite eras, and sub-genres, I must be very honest when I state that my recollection of this band at that time is thin, to say the least. This is probably not that surprising given that they effectively disappeared for 14 years between the predecessor album and this 2008 release. But, boy, what a comeback!
There are only four tracks on this album, the shortest being a mere 12:55 minutes long. It is an incredible achievement, and the news that a new album is in the pipeline should excite all fans of quality progressive rock.
The opener, Looking For A Platform, sets the scene for much of the album, in that it contains much that nods to the band's roots, but also sets them apart and in new directions. The opening passage is distinctly pastoral and folky in its feel, with more than a touch of Mostly Autumn in its pipes and guitars. The track then develops into a gorgeous symphonic suite, with both Trespass and immediate post Gabriel era Genesis in its root influence. Indeed, much of it reminds me of tracks from Big Big Train's The Underfall Yard, one of the highlights of 2010, and it is certain, to these ears, that these bands are intimately familiar with each other's work. The guitar lead at the conclusion is nothing short of excellent, mixed together with keyboards which would not have sounded out of place on Wind & Wuthering.
The longest epic, So Far, clocks in at a mighty 22+ minutes, and is notable for featuring the voice of former vocalist Alan Reed, who left the band for Pallas. Again, the opening segment is gorgeously pastoral, and I really love this Celtic fusion with the more "traditional" symphonic prog that is at the band's heart. Of course, much of it is also very reminiscent of Pallas' work, something that would have been hard to avoid, given Reed's involvement, and this is stated as no bad thing at all. The track, as would be expected from its length, contains many changes, but its real joy, I feel, is the exceptional guitar work, acoustically by Carter, and electrically by MacFarlane, and this is taking absolutely nothing away from the incredible keyboard work. At turns full of Celtic folk, Floydian lushness, heavy prog, and symphonic passages, this is a mighty slice of neo prog up there with the very best in the field. The ending is ghostly and haunting.
By contrast, Sheepish is a "single" length track, but at just short of thirteen minutes still packs in a great deal. It contains some far heavier passages than preceding tracks, but also manages to deliver, in the same piece, some lush pastoral symphonic passages, and the guitar and keyboard solos are brilliantly performed, with the former, at times, sounding eerily akin to some of Steven Rothery's best work, which, from me, is about the finest compliment I can make. Impossible to pin down, and, to me, the highlight of a fine album.
Ventura completes the album and is a track actually of two parts. The first part is, perhaps, the closest the album comes to "classic", or "traditional neo” prog. Think of Anthony Phillips' solo work, mixed in with a fair dollop of Tony Banks' compositions circa 1976/77, and you are somewhere near the mark. It is marvellously uplifting in the same way as tracks from Genesis of that era are, and, I must say, as well produced. Much of that is owing to the superb vocals of Stuart MacFarlane as much as the music itself. When the track "ends", you take a rather deep breath, before noticing that there are, in fact, some five minutes until the close. The end is, in fact, a mere interlude, before the final four minutes bring us a spacey, almost psychedelic, passage of four minutes of music, with swirling guitars, orchestration, that is completely out of keeping with the rest of the album, but no less effective, excepting, perhaps, a rather too dreamy vocal performance.
This is a fine album, which only just, barely, falls short of a masterpiece. The musicianship is never anything less than inspirational, and the way in which they manage to bring us music that is so clearly heavily inspired by classic symphonic Genesis, yet deliver something fresh and new, is a lesson to many bands. This comes extremely highly recommended in the sure and certain knowledge that the next one will blow your wig off.