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See Red - Demos
Thursday, 21 December, 2006
Verdict: Crunchy classic metal.
More info: www.myspace.com/seeredmetal
See Red are a metal/classic rock band from Bolton, England. The band consist of Rich Davenport - Vocals / Guitar * Kirsten Slater - Guitar * Ian Schofield - Bass / Vocals * DJ Powell - Drums / Vocals. Rick was previously a member of Through The Storm who sent me some material to review a few years ago.
Rich actually sent me three demo tracks to review a long time ago, but checking the web I see that they now have an account on myspace and an EP called "Scars Across Your Soul" available. Also, according to the myspace site they were due to start recording a new EP in November.
The three tracks I have are "Drag Me Out", "Scars Across Your Soul" and "Wait For An Answer" are all feature on the first EP. "Drag Me Out" is a slow crunchy track, with almost a death metal feel. "Scars Across Your Soul" is another riff heavy track that sounds like Sabbath meets Metallica meets Diamond Head. "Waiting For An Answer" is a more straightforward hard rock track with a more definite chorus.
The sound is a bit raw in places, but the basic ingredients are there. So, overall a decent start for the guys.
T.A.O. - The Abnormal Observations
Monday, 18 December, 2006
Verdict: Polish prog merchants attempt a modern take on prog metal
More info: www.unicornrecords.com , http://www.tao.freehost.pl/plyta1.html
The idea for TAO came about in 2003 when Adam Jurewicz (Guitars & vocals) and Robert Sztorc (dummer) were sitting around listening to and playing the music of Planet X, Tower of Power and Mike Patton. The band decided to create their own music. Since then Kamil Urbanski (keyboards) and Lukasz Adanczyk (bass) have been added to the band. The band recorded their debut album during the first half of 2005. The album was released independently, but was later picked up by Unicorn for this 2006 release.
In true prog style this is an eclectic collection of tracks. The opening track starts off with some heavy riffing with a tinkling piano sprinkled over the top, but drops down a gear to a laid back jazz groove before building up again and drifting out. Second track, "Forget It", like a couple of other tracks feature vocals. In general the tracks with vocals don't work as well as the others for me. The vocals are way down in the mix and don't make an impression. The best track with vocals is "Ifot" where they are less annoying. This tracks start off as D'Arcana but develops into a Dream Theater style. "Rhythm of Silence" stands out from the rest due to it's Red Hot Chilli Peppers style which kind of seems out of place on a prog record, but I guess we should commend the band for some lateral thinking.
As you can probably guess, this didn't quite work for me. Then again any band that sails in the same waters as Dream Theater often suffer in comparison in my book. The other elements such as the funk and jazz also tend to be very hit and miss with me also.
Daryl Stuermer - Rewired - The Electric Collection
Thursday, 14 December, 2006
Verdict: Jazz rock instrumentals approached from a 'melodic rock' perspective
More info: www.unicorndigital.com
Daryl Stuermer has worked along with fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty and Genesis and is an essential member of Phil Collins' band. He has released an number of solo albums on the Urban Island record label. "Rewired - The Electric Collection" picks the best tracks from those earlier records and re-masters them.
The overall style of this album is jazz-rock, but it takes a 'melodic rock' to this genre. The result is an instrumental album that will appeal to a wider audience than pure jazz-rock enthusiasts. The playing, guitar and the other instruments, throughout is excellent. This is the type of music you put on your stereo to impress your mates with how great it sounds. "Road Warrior" being particularly good for this sort of thing. Daryl adds variety to the mix on a couple of tracks, "American Fields" and "Highland Hip Hop", by incorporating some Celtic jigs. Whereas on "Wherever You Are" there is a laid back Westcoast vibe. However, style variations tend to be subtle and the album has a 'tried and trusted' feel.
This an entertaining jazz rock instrumental album that incorporates some great guitar playing and takes a "melodic rock" approach to the material.
Rosemary - Suburban Kings Single
Wednesday, 13 December, 2006
Verdict: jangly pop with 60's overtones
More info: www.rosemarymusic.com , www.myspace.com/rosemarymusic , www.ma2music.com
Rosemary are 3 lads from Dartford ( Tim Hill (vocals & bass), Martin Brett (vocals & guitars) and Jon Chamberlain (drums) ). This single was released back in August and the band have moved on since then with a new single release in November called "Benjamin's Ego".
The two songs featured here, "Suburban Kings" and "…for he's blue" are of the jangly pop variety. Quite a contrast to all the prog rock that I've been reviewing lately. The band have been compared to bands such as The Libertines. The band have a sound that whilst modern tends to also harks back to the 60's acts such as The Kinks. Maybe not a great match to the musical tastes of many Mood Swings readers, but could be of interest to the more adventurous.
Joe Brown - Down to Earth
Tuesday, 12 December, 2006
Verdict: polite mixture of blues and country
More info: www.joebrown.co.uk, www.myspace.com/joebrownuk
I remember this guy being on the TV quite a bit when I was kid. In fact, Joe's career dates back to the 50's when he played along with acts such as Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Johnny Cash. Since then he has formed a couple of successful groups (Joe Brown & The Bruvvers in the 60's, Brown's Home Brew in the 70's), been in films (such as Mona Lisa with Bob Hoskins), been in West End plays, been a DJ and had a number of TV programme which is probably where I remember him from. More recently he played at Glastonbury in 2002 and appear at the George Harrison tribute concert later that year.
Not much wonder then that it was only in 90's that he started to make albums again. This album, produced by his son Pete and featuring daughter Sam on vocals, feature some original songs plus covers of song by Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Richard Thompson and Gallagher & Lyle. The musicians are from his regular band, but Joe doesn't tax them too heavily as he plays Dobro, Tenor Dobro, Mandolin, Electric and Acoustic guitar, Mandola, fiddle and squeezebox.
Joe has created an album of polite tracks in a style that is a mixture of blues and country. The album is well executed and is easy listening There is nothing here to take offence at, but on the other hand there isn't anything to get really excited about either. I, and I imagine that most Mood Swings readers, would prefer something with a bit more 'balls' - the blues to be dirtier and the country to be grittier. For example, the cover of Ram Jam's "Black Betty" have been transformed into a country hoedown, whereas I would prefer a more 'metalised' versions of this song.
Karfagen - Continium
Monday, 11 December, 2006
Verdict: folk tinged melodic progressive rock
More Info: www.unicorndigital.com
This could be a first for Mood Swings - a review of a Ukrainian band! The band emerged in 1998 when Antony Kalugin formed the band whilst he was still at school. Work on a first album was started in 1998, but the band wasn't really a viable proposition until 2005 when Antony had the money from working on a number of other projects to fund the recording of the first album.
The music on this album mainly keyboard based and the music is of the melodic progressive nature as played by for example Camel and Eloy. The distinguishing feature of Karfagen's music is the blending in of elements of folk which might sound a bit horrendous, but which works quite well. There are few vocal parts, but the music is mainly instrumental. I hesitate to use the work relaxing as this can have negative connotations, but the sweeping keyboards and folk tinged melodies evoke visions of vast peaceful landscapes. I enjoyed the Eloy style opening numbers A Winter's Tale (Pt 1 & 2) and the 8 min Amused Fair which has some good jazz fusion elements and see the band stretch themselves.
Some of Unicorn's instrumental releases can a bit of challenge to really get into, but with Karfagen I had a positive reaction right from the first listen.
Nil - 40 jours sur le Sinai
Monday, 11 December, 2006
Verdict: engaging musical odyssey
More info: www.unicornrecords.com , www.nilweb.com
I had been intrigued by this album ever since I reviewed Nil's "Nil Novo Sub Sole" album last year. When I was doing some background research, this album kept cropping up. In fact Nil, have recorded 4 albums. "40 Jours sur le Sinai" dates back to 2003 and was their third album. It was originally independently released, but has been put out by Unicorn whilst we await some new material from the band.
"40 jours sur le Sinai" is a concept album which deals with Atlantis and ancient Egypt. There is a booklet in both French and English to accompany the album. In terms of the music, it really is a varied mixture with many styles covered including progressive, ambient, electronic, classical, even metal. The band are helped out by a number of additional musicians on flute, cello, harp and sax. There are a few vocal parts in the album, but they are used sparingly. In particular, the vocals of Roselyn Berthet, who at the time this was recorded wasn't a full band member, have that wonderful ethereal quality in mentioned in the "Nil Novo Sub Sole" review.
As you may have guessed from the previous paragraph, this is difficult to classify and thinking of comparisons almost impossible. The only one I will mention is King Crimson because the basslines are a common element creating a continuity between the tracks. There are 29 'tracks' which are nominally split between 2 acts. In practice, this is the sort of album where talk of individual tracks is meaningless. Instead, it is better to talk about an intriguing and enchanting musical odyssey that draws the listener in and engrosses you with it's twists and turns.
Spaced Out - Unstable Matter
Saturday, 09 December, 2006
Verdict: Spaced Out get heavy
More info: www.spacedoutmusic.com
I have already reviewed previous Spaced Out albums here at Mood Swings. The band specialise in complex jazz fusion that amazes out with the sheer brilliance of the musicianship. However, I'm always left wondering if as well as impressing me with their technical dexterity, have they actually entertained me as well.
On "Unstable Matter" the band aren't about to compromise at this stage in their career. The music is still as challenging as ever. Around the middle of the album is a track called "Big Crunch" which very accurately describes what has been added to the mix for "Unstable Material". The Jazz Fusion gets merged with metal to push the band's sound even closer to the boundaries. Maybe so close that this is indeed unstable matter! Before I listened to this I would have thought that if Spaced Out pushed things any further the result would have been less appealing than their previous album. Curiously I found myself actually preferring this to their previous work and I rate this as their best work so far.
Retroheads - Introspective
Saturday, 09 December, 2006
Verdict: Retroheads nod towards rather than immerse themselves in the past this time out
More info: www.retroheads.com
The Retroheads are a bunch of Norwegians that a first listen seem to have their heads stuck firmly in the past. Their debut album, Retrospective, had a distinctive 70's vibe to it. The band's objective is to play music without limits and despite the fact that they play retro music, they do so using all the latest technology to recreate the vintage sounds.
There has been a few personnel changes since the debut album, with the band now expanded to a seven piece. This has helped the band move beyond the mere recreation of the past that dominated the debut, into a more creative region where they are starting to define their own sound rather than emulating the sounds of their influences. The overall sound now mixes the retro with more current prog acts such as The Flower Kings.
As with all decent prog, the album doesn't reveal everything during initial listens and it will take a few sessions to really discover what the band's intentions are. The most immediate element on initial listens is the use of the female backing vocals which have a jazzy-folk feel to them which might sound out of place on a prog album, but which actually work well to complement the more conventional prog of the lead singer. I personally would have liked to have heard them used to create some more hook laden chorus material, but I guess this style of music shies away from that sort of thing. Musically, it’s a case of vintage keyboards meeting fluid guitar work and both displaying an awareness of the past whilst creating a sound that is more contemporary than the previous album.
Xinema - Basic Communications
Saturday, 09 December, 2006
Verdict: Xinema's progressive side comes to the fore
More info: www.xinemaworld.com
This is Swedes Xinema's second album, the first being "Different Ways" which was a compilation and re-recording of material from the band's previous incarnation as Madrigal.
When I look back at my review of the band's previous album, I note that I mentioned Saga amongst the list of influences. This time out that influence shines through even more clearly, to the point where it almost detracts from the band's efforts here and relegates their status to that of a tribute band. However, leaving that aside, the positive element here is that the band have created an album that moves them forward from the debut.
The music is a lush combination of keyboards and guitars, with the keyboards generally pushing themselves to the fore and defining the overall style of the band. As the instruments battle it out for dominance, the vocals tend to be left lower down in the mix and don't take as prominent a role in the scheme of things as you might expect.
I personally liked the last album as quite a bit of the material had an AOR flavour to it. This time the band bring out the progressive side of the music more, as witnessed with the couple of 13 minute epics on offer. This means that the album isn't quite as immediate as it's predecessor and takes a few more listens to get into. The reward for doing so, is an album that successfully blends AOR and progressive rock, with the progressive side getting the upper hand this time out.
Kopecky - Blood
Saturday, 09 December, 2006
Verdict: avante-garde prog metal instrumentals
More info: www.unicorndigital.com, http://kopecky.8m.com/, www.williamkopecky.com
Kopecky are an American progressive rock band whose career started with their debut album in 1999. This was followed by Serpentine Kaleidoscope in 2000, Orion (live) in 2001 and Sunset Gun in 2003. The band have also provided support for top prog acts such as Porcupine Tree, Spock's Beard and the Flower Kings.
The three brothers (Joe, William and Paul) create a dark metallic soundscape with their music. The overall sound is like a marriage of Voivod and Dream Theater, albeit in instrumental form. This isn't easy listening as the album also has an avant-garde feel to it. These aren't so much songs, as musical rollercoaster rides as the band hurtle along conjuring up a cauldron of riffs and rhythms. Unexpectedly, the band somehow manage to keep the listener engaged throughout all this, which is always a good sign for any form of instrumental music.
Karcius - Sphere & Kaleidoscope
Friday, 08 December, 2006
More info: www.karcius.com
Verdict: Progressively influenced jazz fusion
Karcius are an instrumental band playing a mixture of progressive rock and jazz fusion. The band was formed in 2001 and have released two albums - "Sphere" and "Kaleidoscope"
Sphere actually dates back to 2004, but has recently be released by Unicorn around the same time are the 2006 album "Kaleidoscope". On Sphere the band are getting to grips with their style which combines the expected jazz fusion workouts with some heavier progressive elements. On both albums the playing is well executed with all members doing a good job. The only possible criticism of the debug is that at times it feels like the jazz and the rock have been forced together rather than blended.
On "Kaleidoscope" we hear the band move forward and develop their style with a more complete melding together of the jazz and heavier progressive element of their sound. The overall feel is something like Liquid Tension Experiment, albeit maybe not quite as intense. As expected on this style of music the band go through a whole host of tempo changes and atmospheres in each track never mind an album.
For a style of music that can often leave me reaching for the 'skip track' button on the remote control, I found myself pretty much staying the course throughout the two albums, especially the second one which contains some fine examples of progressively influenced jazz fusion.
Sally Rivers & Alan Whittaker - Inside Out
Friday, 08 December, 2006
More Info: www.sallyrivers.com
Verdict: chill out soft rock
Sally Rivers is a vocal coach and session vocalist. Alan Whittaker is a songwriter who's influences include Crowded House, Peter Gabriel, The Beatles and Neil Finn. Alan has released 3 solo album, but teamed up with Sally back in 2005 for the "Secret Life" album.
As I mentioned in a review of the Secret Life album, Sally's vocals are good match to Alan's songs. The style of music played by the duo sits in the same sort of soft rock territory as bands like The Corrs, Fleetwood Mac, Judie Tzuke etc. This album progresses nicely from Secret Life. This time out the arrangements seem a little richer and this seems to suit Sally's voice. Style wise, it is another chill out type of album, best enjoyed with a good glass of red wine.
Martin Maheux Circle - Sibylle
Friday, 08 December, 2006
Verdict: A 'high brow' fusion of Jazz and classical strings
More Info: www.unicorndigital.com
Martin Maheux is the drummer with progressive fusion outfit Spaced Out, which is I guess the reason this found it's way onto the Unicorn label. In fact, this is a rather curious release. It is a combination of jazz and classical strings. The upbeat jazz contrasts with the melancholy string arrangements.
To be honest there isn't much here if melodic rock is what you're after. The whole affair is a little too 'high brow' for your average rock fan. The tracks are quite long and there is a little variety between them. Definitely one where you have to been in the right mood to get the best out it.
Mr Lilter - Talk The Talk
Friday, 08 December, 2006
More info: www.mrlilter.co.uk
Verdict: Jazz and swing based retro pop
Mr Lilter are band from North Yorkshire, England. They describe their music as "Mr Lilter are a bit like the stones crossed with The Doors, but a bit more upbeat and modern - and with both male and female vocals". This is their first independently released album.
The band's sound is a mixture of swing, jazz, ska and 60s pop but with a enough modern twists to make them sound contemporary. They are pretty far removed from Melodic Rock, but I guess the fact the term "Mood Swings" is often associated with jazz does explain how this found it's way into my review inbox. The music is upbeat, sunny and of the toe-tapping variety.
The band remind me of The Divine Comedy in that the music is quirky and individual. I find The Divine Comedy's music to be slightly irritating and to be perfectly honest Mr Lilter's music has a similar tendency. That upbeat feel is too much for a grumpy old rocker like me!
The band 'swing' their way through of a series of upbeat tracks that I have admit are extremely catchy. Fans of quirky pop will love this, especially those that also appreciate 60s pop and 50s swing. The tracks that stood out for me were "This Passion" with it's new wave vibe, the busker style "Time Bomb", the catchy "Give Me Money" and the simplistic "My Sunrise" which closes the album.
I found repeated listens to this to be slightly annoying. This due more to a mismatch with my musical tastes rather than any fault with Mr Lilter. Those of you with more retro pop orientated tastes are likely to have a different opinion.
Winterfell
Friday, 08 December, 2006
Verdict: Technical Power Metal
More info: http://www.winterfell.org/index.php
Winterfell are an unsigned American Power Metal band and this is their first full album release. I would describe their style as being a mixture of Iron Maiden and Metallica, with a few progressive elements thrown in as well. A bit research on the net whilst gathering information about the band indicated that Iced Earth are probably a good starting point in the comparison stakes.
In general the band romp their way through the tracks taking a fairly technical approach to their music with plenty of heads down virtuoso guitar. However, the band do also add variety to the sound using occasional acoustic sections and by taking a marginally more melodic approach than many other power metal bands.
This is an album that I found took quite a few listens to get into and in fact several of the tracks still leave me a little cold, although I can imagine that Power Metal fans will appreciate them. The tracks that worked best for me were ones which actually deviated from the standard approach on the album, such as the Metallica-like "Asatru" and "The Beggar King" and the 'melodic Sabbath' of "Once and Again". Of the more typical tracks opener "Threnody" was the one that stood out of the pack.
Overall, Winterfell have done a good job on this self-released album. The Power Metal sub-genre isn't one that particularly appeals to me and I found myself picking out tracks that resembled music that I am more familiar with as the best tracks.
Jeff Urso - Straight Ahead
Friday, 08 December, 2006
Verdict: Uplifting guitar instrumentals
More info: www.jeffurso.com
Jeff Urso is an American guitarist who actually started out playing drums, but eventually moved onto the guitar. He has played drums and guitar in a number of bands, but for the moment he is concentrating on creating some instrumental music.
Jeff lists both Steve Vai and Joe Satriani as influences and these do come through in his music. However, if I had to make a comparison, I'd go for Neil ZaZa. Like Neil Zaza, Jeff's album is more about melody rather than shredding. The result is an upbeat album where the 'songs' take priority over technical demonstrations.
Opening track, "Straight Ahead" is a good start to the album. This is followed by "Feel Good" which 'does what it says on the tin'. It is an upbeat carefree blend of acoustic and electric guitars which wouldn't be out of place as theme for a TV holiday programme. "Rhythmic Wave" follows, this time with a calypso feel.
After the light comes the shade, in the form of the heavier "Low Down" and "Down & Dirty". The holiday theme is back on "Warm Day" which gels well with the previous tracks. The album hits it's high spot with the next track "Cyber Me" which has some good guitar work over a Jan Hammer style backing. "Perfect" cools the engines and the next track, "Thinking Of You" once again seems to complement the previous track really well. The album curiously closes with a gentile piano piece.
I have to admit that I enjoyed listening to this album more than I had anticipated. It was good to listen to an instrumental guitar album that felt uplifting rather than a dark exploration of complexity and speed.
Life Support Sound - So We'll Burn These Fears to the Ground
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006
Verdict (Rating): Promising alt-rock (80%)
More Info: www.lifesupportsound.com
Life Support Sound (LSS) are London based 4 piece outfit. Three of the members (Dave Taylor - guitar/vocals, Joel Macayana - guitar & Ian Hasell - drums) were in a band called Tinnitus in the early 2000's. When James Beatt joined as bassist, the band became LSS. The current line-up has Andy Buchanan on bass (I wonder how long he'll last!). The bands influences include Silverchair, Third Eye Blind, My Vitriol and Feeder.
That list of influences is a little on the modern side for my tastes, even if I will admit to hearing a Third Eye Blind track somewhere and thinking it was bad.
"Skins" is a good start to the EP with a good rockin' chorus. "Thorn Covered Rose" follows up with a slower more melodic approach. "Race With Me" follows the lumbering verse meets explosive chorus formula with skill. "The Simplest Things" is a basic, but effective, acoustic track with a good melodic edge to it. "Crawl" completes the EP.
LSS have created a good alt-rock showcase for themselves and one that is worth investigating, especially for Mood Swings readers into the more contemporary side of melodic rock.
Kryah - Kryah EP
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006
Verdict (Rating): AOR for the modern era (85%)
More Info: www.kryah.co.uk
Kryah consists of Scott Dean (Vocals/Guitar), James Martin (Keys), Daniel Chantrey (Drums), PJ Lauda (Bass) and Tom Martin (Guitar). They are a UK outfit and this 3 track EP was recorded at Abbey Road studios.
"March 15th" is a modern rock tune that builds up to a good chorus and has a whiff of U2 in the guitar work. "Going Blind" in another good modern rock tune this time in the vein of Matchbox 20. The U2 meets Matchbox 20 of "No Warning" reminds me of Diving For Pearls. In fact, thinking back to the other couple of tracks, "an updated version of Diving For Pearls" is a fairly good summary of the bands style.
I've had this EP sitting about for ages and I'm surprised that I haven't played it more. I think the reason is that this short EP leaves you frustrated in that it leaves you wanting more. It is always good to see a band trying to move the AOR genre forward and this is what Kryah have managed to do and I'm pleased to note that they are giving it their own modern twist rather than copying other modern AOR variations such as the the Power Pop of Harem Scarem/SR-71.
Left Arm Over - Left Arm Over EP
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006
Verdict (Rating): Developing alt rock (70%)
More Info: www.leftarmover.com
Left Arm Over was formed in 2005 in Sidney Australia by brother's Trent and Kevin Stewart. The brother have been jamming on and off for several years and decided to record some material in 2005. This self titled EP is their first release.
The band quote influences including Sepultura, Monster Magnet, AIC, Fear Factory, Suicidal Tendancies and Silverchair.
The first couple of songs, "Captain Courageous" and "Mind Over Matter" are 2 minute blasts of what I'd describe as Punk. The buzzing guitars of "Milton" moves the sound in a more alt rock meets metal direction. "I Man Inside Me" is the heaviest and longest track at 5 mins. A heavier version of Nickelback is one description I came up with.
The band's music is too alt rock to make them more than occasional listening material for an old 80's metal meet's fluffy AOR head like me, but if they can continue to develop tracks along the lines of "I Man Inside Me" then they will have potential in what seems like a crowded alt rock marketplace.
Forbidden Dream - Slightly Out Of Frame
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006
Verdict (Rating): Hard rock with progressive aspirations (71%)
More Info: www.forbiddendream.net
Forbidden Dream formed in Ottawa Canada in 1997. They released a 3-song EP in 2001 and have appeared on 3 compilation CDs.
The band quote a number of influences, but two of their biggest are Bon Jovi and Dream Theater. It is no surprise then that their style is melodic hard rock with splattering of progressive tendencies.
The album has a real 80's hard rock feel to it. Those Bon Jovi influences show up in a few places most noticeably on ballads "Holding On" and "You Will Never See Me Cry" and "This Side Of Hell". On "This Side Of Hell" I also hear early Def Leppard which also pops up on a few other songs on the album. For example, "Heaven's Taken Over" mixes the blues with Lepp's "Sorrow Is A Woman".
Overall this is a competent first release. The album finishes stronger than it starts with the second half the album containing the better material. In fact, I found the opening track "Welcome to the world" to be one of the weakest on the album and gave me a bad initial impression. Also, the material on here requires a few listens to be fully appreciated, but repeated listens pay dividends. Being a Dream Theater fan I would have liked the band to maybe let more of that influence through into their music. I think that this would be a way for the band to help distinguish themselves in a genre that has all the original 80's hard rock releases and plenty more since competing for the listener's attention.
D'Arcana - D'Arcana & As Worlds They Rise and Fall
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006
Verdict (Rating): a musical journey through elegant soundscapes (D'Arcana - 80%, As Worlds They Rise And Fall - 85%)
More info: www.darcana.com
D'Arcana are a three piece outfit featuring Shelby Snow (Bass, Vocals), Jay Tausig (Lead Vocals, Multi-Instrumentalist) & James Camblin (Guitars, Vocals) who have been recording and performing live since 2003. This North Californian group describe themselves as a Psychedelic, Progressive, Space/Folk Rock and Fusion project. The band have released two albums - a self-titled debut in 2004 and "As World Rise and Fall" in 2005. (The band have recently added drummer Larry Stites to the line-up and will release their third album, "Premonitions" in Spring 2006.)
D'Arcana's music covers a number of styles ranging from medieval folk through progressive rock to Frank Zappa style fusion. The common factor is what seems like a layered approach. I don't have a clue how D'Arcana actually go about writing their music, but listening to it I imagine the band developing it as a series of layers with Jay's soft vocals floating on top. Surprisingly the result isn't a complex cluttered sound, instead it is simple and elegant.
I'll have to admit that when I first played one the CD's I thought that the music was going to be too laid back, even boring, for me. As it turns out I did most of my listening to these whilst I was redecorating one of the rooms in our house - a job which don't enjoy that much. Normally painting is a noisy affair as I pick out some metal or hard rock and get to work. This time I decided to do my review listening whilst I painted. A bit like those layers I mentioned earlier, a favourable response to D'Arcana's music built up gradually.
Listening to two CD back to back it seems to me that the second CD has a more progressive rock edge to it compared to the more varied and psychedelic debut. It also sounds more focused - I'd describe the tracks on the second album as songs whereas the tracks on the debut are more pieces of music. In fact I found that I don't think of individual tracks that much. I just treat the whole albums as musical journeys through varied soundscapes. Those soundscapes include influences from a raft of progressive acts, but key to the success of the albums is the fact the band have forged their own identity.
Movie - Stand Alone
Wednesday, 14 June, 2006
Verdict (Rating): Power-pop with 'buzzing' guitars (70%)
More Info: www.movietheband.bravehost.com
These South Londoners got together in 2003 and played their first gig in May 2004. The band describe their music as striking a perfect balance between adrenalin and melody - raw edgy guitars support heart felt lyrics, backed by a biting and melodic rhythm section. The band are often compared to bands such as Foo Fighters, Manics and Longpigs.
Listening to the 4 songs on this EP I can see that Foo Fighters and Manic Street Preachers are valid comparisons (OK - I'm old - I've no idea who the Longpigs are!).
The EP starts of the modern power pop of "Over The Hill" where the guitar sound reminds me of Neil Young. "Wake Up Blind" in power pop light with buzzing guitars on the chorus. "Avalanche" has slightly more of an edge to it whereas "Ghostman" slows things right down at first but gradually builds up to more Neil Young style buzzing guitars during it's 9 mins. Maybe these guys are closet "prog-heads" with a track that length?
