The Anthill - Anteater's Reviews of the Curious & Obscure
 

Hello friends, food and felons! I am Anteater (or Derek if you prefer). Blue, furry and ferocious, I hope to entertain ye' masses with various rants and obscure/not-so-obscure reviews that may or may not conform to your particular views & tastes in music. If you're open-minded though, perhaps you'll learn to like things you never thought you'd like before. I hope anyway, haha!! :pimp:

Enjoy the journal, and lets keep it cool & civil. There's no particular timetable for the reviews in question, but it will be updated enough to hold long-term interest. Whether you get something out of this, don't, or are simply baffled by my posts, I hope you are entertained to even the smallest of degrees.

And oh yeah....Welcome to the Anthill everyone. Don't forget the oatmeal! :laughing:

Here is an album index of what I have reviewed thus far:

The Residents - Not Available (1978)
Lucifer's Friend - Banquet (1974)
Pazop - Psychillis Of A Lunatic Genius (1972)
The Vampires of Dartmoore - Dracula's Music Cabinet (1969)
Moon Safari - Blomljud (2008)
Level 42 - World Machine (1985)
Pain of Salvation - Remedy Lane (2002)
Black Widow - Sacrifice (1970)
The Tangent - The Music That Died Alone (2003)
Algarnas Tradgard - Framtiden ar ett Svavande Skepp, Forankrat I Forntiden (1972)
David Fiuczynski - Black Cherry Acid Lab (2002)
T2 - It'll All Work Out In Boomland (1970)
Yes - Going For The One (1977)
Brainticket - Cottonwoodhill (1971)
Gentle Giant - Acquiring The Taste (1971)
Grobschnitt - Rockpommel's Land (1977)
Ambrosia - Ambrosia (1975)
Lemon Jelly - Lost Horizons (2002)
Mr. Sirius - Barren Dream (1987)
Friendship Time - S/T (1975/2006)
Steve Cole - NY LA (2003)
Hölderlin - Hölderlin's Traum (1972)
Vangelis - The Dragon (1971)
Jeremy Steig - Firefly (1977)

(A Troll wanders in and feeds the anteater some ants)
Welcome man! Glad you made it, and looking forward to your posts. Agree with pretty much most of what you say, with one proviso (for me, anyway): I'm a pasty-faced, geeky, bespectacled 40-something (fast approaching 50 --- gulp!) Irish boy who was brought up on the kind of fare they served up on the likes of Top of the Pops, MTV and so on, though I often caught the Tube or the OGWT (Old Grey Whistle Test), and soon my musical leanings had turned towards rock, then heavy rock, then metal, then prog, and then metal again, and now I'm pretty much happy with what I listen to.
I can put on a Josh Groban or Nanci Griffith or Faith Hill CD, and then a Marillion followed by Iron Maiden, finished up with a nice big helping of Grieg or Dvorak, and I enjoy them all. However, I DO know what I DON'T like, and I stay away from it, as life's too short to waste time with music I'm not into HOWEVER I do accept that others like this sort of music (these sorts of music?) and don't rip on 'em. If someone's into jazz, punk. disco, hardcore hip-hop or whatever, I just say, yeah fine, but I dont like it. Doesn't mean it's bad, just that I personally dont like it. Perhaps if more people thought this way there'd be a lot more tolerance?
Anyway, just wanted to drop in and say hi, and hope to read some darn interesting (and hopefully controversial) posts!
Welcome!
TH

Looking forward to some nice obscure Prog from Mr. Anteater. Although I may have to completely blank you for that post Punk comment ;)

Haha, I actually like Post-Punk (especially Cardiacs) though Jack...but ya know, I just can't help being a mite cynical when I see Joy Division and Sonic Youth on 8 out of 10 Top Ten Artist's lists. Makes me want to say "CMON FOOL, SURPRISE ME A BIT DAMNMIT!! SAY SOMETHING THAT YOUR FRIENDS AREN'T SAYING!" :tramp:

Anyway, onto my first obscure review...on a concept album relating to obscurity itself!!



Of the dozens of albums within The Residents discography that have cropped up since they started recording officially in the early 70's, there are few which are quite as....odd, I suppose, as this particular record, both in terms of sound and the history of the album itself. The Residents themselves recorded this work after their debut, Meet The Residents, hit shelves in 1974, but afterwards locked it up for 4 years because they felt it provided too easy an entry into their minds and musical philosophy for the listener. So basically, this album would have never become available to anyone if they hadn't been pressured by Cryptic Corporation (their label and spokesmen) to release it, and hence the album's title. They wanted this album to remain locked up forever, out of sight and mind. Good thing that little plan didn't pan out, because this material is far too good to remain buried in some locker. So...hooray for commercial interests! (for once, lol :rofl:)

Anyway, back on track here: the music itself is difficult to categorize. Not Available is a concept album based around both a love triangle between three characters (Edweena, Porcupine and Catbird) while at the same time postulating about the Theory of Obscurity and the nature of non-existence. The vocals are atonal, the instruments for the most part melodic, and certain musical themes are drawn upon throughout the five tracks, giving it nice flow considering the experimental nature of Not Available's premise. You can hear sax, orchestral elements, harps, lots of drums, guitar, bass, everything under the sun, and it interacts with the relatively dark nature of the lyrics and vocals in some curious, perhaps even unsettling, ways. These descriptions, however, don't do the music justice in any way, shape or form. While I don't do this very often when it comes to music...I can honestly say that this is an album you need to HEAR in order to grasp just how singular and distinctive this album is, not just within The Residents discography but within the whole of music history itself. Corny thing to say I know, but that's just the plain truth of the matter. There literally isn't anything else comparable to this, even within The Residents' discography. Really!!

So, for those of you interested in The Residents, the avant-garde (especially of the Captain Beefheart variety), or experimental music in general, this is a must-hear. While I would recommend The Third Reich 'N Roll or God In Three Persons as entry points into this band's mind-boggling catalogue, I consider Not Available to be a logical next step for anyone who wants to hear these anonymous performers' at their best musically and conceptually. Its quite the interesting ride.


Here's a YouTube video of the first track, Edweena, for you guys' pleasure.

I am a fan of The Residents but this one hasn't crossed my path yet. Great review and hopefully a few members may give them a listen!

This definitely looks like it has the opportunity to be a very interesting thread - I'll be watching! Like the rant too - I can't stand people that like to give others s*** for what they listen to. I know I have my favorite genres, but I'm always open for anything and spend hours a week listening to new music (now it's mostly stuff I've been finding through MB :D). There's so much out there, I personally am unable to not try listening to new music regularly, and I usually find that there's at least a small redeeming factor, if not more, to almost all music. I love obscure stuff as well; I'm not really a mainstream listener. Looking forward to it! BTW - I really enjoyed that Residents track, I've never heard anything by them before. I now understand why you said it's something you have to hear to grasp.

Interesting review of an interesting album .. I don't know it myself (it certainly would take a while to get familiar with all their stuff), but your review has made me curious, so I'm gonna see if I can get a hold of it. That track you posted is quite interesting.

And grats on your first review! :)

Good review....but where's the random propaganda?

Random propaganda? You mean like an ad????

http://www.currentbusinessnews.net/i...cks-coffee.jpg
MusicBanter Is A Proud Sponser of Starbucks Coffee: Eating Away Your Savings On $5.00 Cups Of Java When You Could Be Playing the Stock Market Instead.

Anyway, time to review one of the best albums ever from a really great German hard-rock group....who nobody seems to know about. :(


There's a rather sad story behind many of the German rock bands in the 60's and 70's, in that it was nearly impossible for them to find exposure outside their home country, plus it was looked down upon for them to write their own compositions.

Example conversation:

Person: "So, you guys are a rock band?"

Band: "Yes."

Person: "Cool! What Led Zeppelin tracks you gonna' cover tonight?"

Band: "None. We wrote all our own stuff!"

Person: "STFU GTFO!!!!!111"

Taking such into a considersation, its a real wonder that Lucifer's Friend, who began as a hard rock band around the same time as Black Sabbath and Deep Purple formed, got ANY exposure at all despite landing a record deal at Vertigo Records (which Sabbath was also on). Despite that however, the exposure was still minimal, as they weren't able to produce that many of their records for distribution. Hence, while anyone and their grandma can tell you who Deep Purple is, they'll just scratch their heads at the mention of Lucifer's Friend.

Anyway, onto the review of this particular work: Of the nine studio albums that Lucifer's Friend ended up putting out before finally biting the bullet for good in the mid 90's, Banquet is without a doubt the peak of their creative output. While "Spanish Galleon" with its swingin' pace and the epic "Sorrow" are major highlights here, the 30-piece brass band behind Lucifer's Friend really show their chops behind the main group, resulting in awesomeness from start to finish.

There's a lot to like for those who get a kick out of great instrumentals: the guitar and piano are both prominent & tasteful, John Lawton (who would later front Uriah Heep) is in top vocal shape here, and the songs themselves never cease to keep one's attention. This is partly due to the rather bombastic big-band vibes due to all the brass background instruments, but all-in-all I would say Lucifer's Friend themselves had captured a unique blend of progressive/hard rock with this record that you just don't see anywhere else today. Its jazzy, its hard, and its a damn lot of fun to blast it out your car speakers as you drive!

So, if nothing else, I recommend Banquet for anyone who wants to hear the best rock this rather poorly exposed German outfit has to offer, and also to check out their 1970 S/T debut if you like this. Listen well and appreciate just how far Lucifer's Friend has progressed beyond those other rock bands of the era in complexity/originality in the space of a mere four years while the rest stuck to their formulaic 3-chord recreations of their debut albums for the rest of their careers (I'm looking at YOU Black Sabbath!!).

R.I.P Lucifer's Friend, and may your music be remembered and appreciated by those who wish to listen to the best that history has forgotten.

**** yeah! Spanish Galleon sounds awesome .. :)

That's another one I'm gonna have to get my hands on. Thanks Anteater!

Thanks tore, glad you like it. Lets baptize more ppl and start a Friends of Lucifer church that shall surpass Comus's Leaf Hound cult in numbers, muahahahah!!! :laughing:

Dreams of domination aside, the very obscure album I am reviewing today should appeal to anyone who loves Frank Zappa, the Canterbury Scene, or Belgian waffles. Or all simultaneously, lulz.

Here we go then-


A band like Pazop brings up some interesting questions for the musically inclined, though their importance is more often than not secondary to the music itself. Is it better when the lyrics are concrete or left to the interpretation of the listener? Is it really art when the musicians themselves aren't taking themselves seriously to begin with?

You'd normally associate these sort of inquiries with Zappa, Beefheart, or of more well known Rock-In-Opposition bands who tried to do music which defied everybody elses definitions of the word. But even though nothing on this record is jaw-droppingly gamebreaking or crap like that, I can assure you guys that this here group Pazop is zany and fun enough to be deserving of the same questions. For one thing, they are Belgians playing the sort of keyboard driven jazzy flute-rock that was madly popular in Canterbury, Kent at the time, yet coupling it with a freakish lyrical style reminiscent of Don Van Vliet on Trout Mask Replica, yet still coming out as something completely different from either. Second, there is no guitar on this album. Not. One. Lick., which makes it that much more odd of just how well it rocks out.

Moving on: Breaking down these tracks is close to impossible. All sixteen songs are excursions into the more avant-garde side of jazz-rock which was touched upon by Matching Mole and National Health, but never fully taken in. You have flute, keyboards, violin, bass, and gruffy vocals which fit this quirky album like the tuxedo you bought on Prom Night, which you wouldn't think would make for a good sound but actually works wonders in further distinguishing them from other bands of the era. The structures are...not really there for the most part, which makes describing exactly how they are pretty futile. You just gotta hear it and make comparisons for yourselves.

Anyway, to put everything all so simply: When you get random lines like "Masterbation is the only good formation", you know you are listening to something very special and unique. Sad that there weren't more bands in the Canterbury Scene who tried an approach like this, but if that were the case, I wouldn't be reviewing this album right now: it stands apart from the rest, and that makes it worth a listen even if you don't intend to keep it in your collection.

In conclusion, Pazop is recommended to anyone who always wanted a bit of unconvential humour in their Caravan, but never got their wish. Or if you just like to be pleasantly surprised by the weird/offbeat. Either way, there's plenty of kicks to be had.


Here's a vid of track #4, What Is The Further Purpose, though the quality sucks. Do your bests to enjoy it anyway.

Okkkay then...here's another review for the hell of it. :laughing:


Of the various obscure bands in my collection, stuff like this ranks among the weirdest for sure. The Vampires of Dartmoore were a short-lived psychedelic, garage-Krautrock outfit who put forth this single release before vanishing off the face of the planet soon after (1969 must not have been that great year for German rock bands = /). Unfortunately, I can't tell any of you much about the band itself: there's like, no information ANYWHERE about the members on the web, which makes this album's existence even more mysterious/dubious than normal. I mean sure, there were as many one shot bands back in those days as there were stars in the sky, but with a group like this, it just seems really odd that there's no background info...

*cough*. Anyway... as the title suggests, Dracula's Music Cabinet is something like a soundtrack to a kind of low-budget 1960's horror movie, featuring screams, evil cackling, sounds of torture and moans amidst the bass, guitar, sax, freaky sounds, industrial drumming and moody Hammond organ which all mix freely into something that sounds...novel to say the least, even 40 years after its creation. Dogs barking, the laughter of a mad scientist, the looming of an old house against the terror that a full moon brings...it all just visualizes so easily as you are drawn into record's groove, and I generally have difficulty visualizing any kind of scene when I listen to music of any sort.

Basically, the whole experience of going through this album is so strange, sleazy and different from the usual fare (and this is coming from a love of avant-garde here), that I can only consider it a masterpiece. Its left that strong an impression on me within a year.

So on a final note, I'll personally PM Dracula's Music Cabinet to anyone who is interested/brave enough to give it a try. Love it, hate it, care less for it...I can say with certainty that once your ears get a taste of it, you won't forget it. Ever.


Oh yah, here's a video some fan made with the track "Dance of the Vampires" as the background music.

It's also great at family occasions, just ask Cardboard. :)

can I get a PM please?

Vampires of Dartmoor looks worth a listen for the cover alone. any chance of an up?

I'm listening to Dr. Sex's torture chamber now .. What the hell is this ****? It's all flute, whips, frog croaks and moaning.

.. Awesome!

Glad everyone who I've PMed Dracula's Music Cabinet to is enjoying it thusfar. Odd music ain't it, hahahaha! :D

Now then, today's review is a bit different from the last couple. The album is recent and not particularly obscure, but I would say it's a curious piece and thus interesting enough to be worth a review. Plus, I have a few comments to make about all this contemporary "new prog" which seems to be at the forefront of most prog. scenes today...


If any of you went to ProgArchives.com right now and started looking through the "Best" lists of 2007 and 2008, you would notice that there's a particularly annoying trend beginning to rear its ugly head, a phenomena which has seemingly been getting worse since the dawn of the new millenia: more than 60% of the highest rated releases are ALL symphonic progressive rock albums by bands/artists like The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, Spock's Beard, Knight Area, Galahad, Pendragon, Glass Hammer, etc. Big "WTF" moment for me at the time, but only recently did it hit me: the prog. revival which began revving up in the mid 90's...has hit a ceiling. Accessibility has become favored over compisition, and the ELP-style pretension which you see in bands like Dream Theater and in the majority of "prog. metal" had fully sunk its insidious claws into Neo-Prog. Eeeeeek!

Now, as a fan of Yes and Genesis, I don't have anything against Symphonic Progressive Rock personally. Harmony and I get along quite well together usually, and there's plenty of that to be found in Neo/Symphonic Prog. for some thirty odd years now. The thing is though, I've gone through my fair share of all these different "Third Wave" groups' discographies, yet I'm scared at just how indistinctive these bands are from one another in terms of approach/style/thematics over the last seven years or so. Every vocalist is trying to be Jon Anderson, Peter Gabriel or Steve Wilson. The instrumentation is consistantly good for the most part, but there's nothing there I haven't heard before or its all muddled in Nu-Metal/Alternative excremental influences which we all started hearing with Porcupine Tree on Deadwing but has now seeped in to everyone else's sound (with maybe Frost* being the only exception, but they're a studio project anyway). And The Flower Kings...once great, but since the 2000's have lost the vital spark they once had. A shame really, considering how godlike their debut was.

So what's left at the end for those who were looking for good modern prog.? Nothing: you lose hope that you'll find anything different and move on to bigger and better things.

Yet every once in awhile, something is different. You hear a band like Moon Safari and your faith and curiosity are renewed in the entire genre. Someone has opened a window and lets new wind blow the staleness out, and now you have a reason to be excited again!

So, on the album review: Blomljud is this Swedish outfit's sophomore album, an elaboration/maturation of sorts from 2005's A Doorway to Summer, which was nice but nothing special. Back then, I simply would have written Moon Safari as The Flower Kings' forgettable second cousin and moved onto something more interesting. But three years is a long time. More than enough time, actually, for a group who wants to elevate themselves above their competition to actually reach that goal. The result of that growth is this record, and its one of the best I've heard within the Symphonic genre a lonnnnnng time.

Aside from the rather refreshing emphasis on the folk side of prog. which so many other bands seem to have thrown away, what stood out for me the most were the vocals when I first picked up the album. When multi-instrumentalists Simon Akesson and Petter Sandstrom share the mike and stage together, it felt like someone had cloned The Beach Boys and gave them richer voices to sing their hearts out with. Rarely do vocals stand out in progressive rock of any kind, but for once I can give everyone my assurances that Moon Safari is TOP-NOTCH on this front, and it was a pleasant surprise for me.

The second thing that will strike you, if you pay attention, are the simple YET intelligently arranged lyrical/musical themes (a weak point in most modern day progressive rock) that emerge often enough to give this album a measure of enjoyable consistency. Because along with commentary on man's relationship with technology (In the Countryside), nostalgia of a simpler past (Yasgur's Farm, Constant Bloom), the music itself is warm as summer and unusually memorable to me considering all that I've heard. Tracks like the instrumental 'Moonwalk' can be almost hallucinatory when you close your eyes and lay out in a quiet place for Pate's sake! And I can't forget the stand-out 'Other Half of the Sky', which is 30 minutes of the sort of pastoral harmony that only comes around once in a thousand CDs. :laughing:

So yeah, Symphonic Prog. did not die with Yes or the Canterbury bands like the purists would have you think. The spirit still lives on in bands like Moon Safari, who bring ingenuity and inventiveness but still giving us a poignant glimpse into a glorious time in music when masterpieces like Close to the Edge and In The Land of the Grey and Pink were at the forefront of the minds and hearts of listeners, lifting souls up and giving people the sort of joy that makes them want to go on living.

Maybe other groups will see the light and pick up a few pointers from this modern-day masterpiece. We have enough Porcupine Trees out there to make a forest after all, lol!!


The vid. below is Yasgur's Farm, one of the best tracks on the album. It's harder than some of the other tracks, but its definitely a highlight. If you like it, tell me and I'll PM this album to you!!

wow, the Pazop album and the Vampires of Dartmoor album are awesome!! true, Dracula's Music Cabinet is probably the wierdest thing Ive ever heard, besides some of the magma stuff, but I still think I like the Pazop one better. That might change as I listen to them more, though

Oh my. Can I get in on it too?

Me too if you don't mind, I liked what I heard so far.

So to anyone who actually cares, today I am reviewing a...*gasp* POP ALBUM FROM THE 80's!! AND IT CHARTED TOO!! OMG!!!!

Not really obscure/curious, but I hope you guys like it...


Some people I know, of which my parents and a number of friends would consitute, have told me that music is something you either listen to, or its something you dance to. That an artist has to choose between success or creativity and can never really have both. That "good" pop music has to consist of pre-recorded beats in studio, samples from better songs, with pimped-up vocal emphasis run through synthesizers and autotune. And, at-least up until high school, I took those assertions as facts and didn't think much of it, even though I wasn't much of a fan of Michael Jackson, Spears or pop in general in the first place. Because I had never heard a pop album whose purpose went beyond merely being catchy or making money, my preconception was that the last 40 years of pop music was simply a reflection of the idiotic consumer culture around me and that there was no such thing as a "good" (by my standards) pop record.

World Machine, Level 42's 6th studio release from 1985 and a crossover hit at the time, turned that entire mindset around within twenty minutes. Compare that to Wolves in the Throne Room's Two Hunters, which turned me onto black metal in an hour, and you have a record that still hasn't been broken.

Level 42, as I found out after giving this album a few spins and reading up some on their history, didn't conform to any of the above "criteria" for success. Unlike many up-and-coming pop acts, they all handled their own instruments (quite effectively I might add), wrote their own songs, and yet were still managed it hit it big with this watershed 1985 release without sacrificing the distinctive bass-oriented sound (Mark King for the win) from their formative jazz-fusion debut and second albums. Unlike many of their American and English contemporaries though, these guys were driven to make their talent something the masses could take a bite of, and this is the result, for better or for worse (depending your interpretation of selling-out, it could be either one).

Anyway, review time: World Machine, like many albums with some conceptual thought behind them, has a few running themes throughout its throbbing, pulsating 44-minute run. As the disillusioned title track (my personal favorite) questions throughout its rediculously heavy and catchy groove: When a person integrates themselves into popular culture, is that person really a distinct individual anymore now that he's part of the great 'world machine'? Furthermore, why is the procreation of life itself (see track quote below) even important in a society where one face is easily exchanged for another?

Not too bad for a song intended to push sales, and its bittersweet stuff like this which makes you glad you bothered to listen to the song in the first place. You like the beat, but your brain is still running in the process. Good.

The rest of the songs aren't quite as sharp as the title track unfortunately, but instrumentally its satisfying enough and lyrically the rest of the material is pretty sound too, so what more could you want? In brief summation of the rest of the album, there's the Top 40 hit 'Something About You' which laments over mistakes when it comes to love in a rather poetic way. 'Big Man in A Storm' questions our roles in society and how they can drive us nuts, 'A Physical Presence" deals with rejection and lingering feelings, and so on and so forth. Nothing groundbreaking, but there are some nice touches here and there which hearken back to the days when jazz-fusion and prog. rock were things to be enjoyed in public instead of locked in your dad's old basement collection.

So overall, I'd say this is a good album for anyone who wants to hear what happens when a jazz-funk-fusion band goes Pop. Its tasteful, high-wired, interesting and doesn't feel outdated like the majority of 80's music. And unlike what you hear on the radio and T.V. today, this stuff's got enough heart & soul to be appreciated long after the name "Backstreet Boys" becomes slang for you know what.

All that said, that's the end of this review. I don't need to post videos for a band who have a couple hundred vids on YouTube either, so go hear them for yourselves. Happy hunting!! :wave:

Now where'd I put that new obscure album I downloaded yesterday....

Good album, their earlier work was less poppy but still more club-oriented...

Yeah, I haven't listened to World Machine, but I do know their debut which is roughly described also a slightly jazzed up 80s pop. I'll check this one out!

I admire the balls in writing a level 42 review amidst Prog curios. I think they are bloody awful but plenty of respect to ya!

I'd be the same as Jackhammer --- I grew up with the likes of Level 42 on TOTP and bloody hated them. Found them boring, indulgent and ultimately depressing --- but then, that's just me! :)
Did like their two ballad singles though...

Ant, that was really cool! Any chance of a PM?
Just one point: the vocals seemed really down low in the mix --- was that just the video, or is the production really that bad?
Either way, an up would be very much appreciated!
Thx
TH

QUOTE=Anteater;591810]Glad everyone who I've PMed Dracula's Music Cabinet to is enjoying it thusfar. Odd music ain't it, hahahaha! :D

Now then, today's review is a bit different from the last couple. The album is recent and not particularly obscure, but I would say it's a curious piece and thus interesting enough to be worth a review. Plus, I have a few comments to make about all this contemporary "new prog" which seems to be at the forefront of most prog. scenes today...


If any of you went to ProgArchives.com right now and started looking through the "Best" lists of 2007 and 2008, you would notice that there's a particularly annoying trend beginning to rear its ugly head, a phenomena which has seemingly been getting worse since the dawn of the new millenia: more than 60% of the highest rated releases are ALL symphonic progressive rock albums by bands/artists like The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, Spock's Beard, Knight Area, Galahad, Pendragon, Glass Hammer, etc. Big "WTF" moment for me at the time, but only recently did it hit me: the prog. revival which began revving up in the mid 90's...has hit a ceiling. Accessibility has become favored over compisition, and the ELP-style pretension which you see in bands like Dream Theater and in the majority of "prog. metal" had fully sunk its insidious claws into Neo-Prog. Eeeeeek!

Now, as a fan of Yes and Genesis, I don't have anything against Symphonic Progressive Rock personally. Harmony and I get along quite well together usually, and there's plenty of that to be found in Neo/Symphonic Prog. for some thirty odd years now. The thing is though, I've gone through my fair share of all these different "Third Wave" groups' discographies, yet I'm scared at just how indistinctive these bands are from one another in terms of approach/style/thematics over the last seven years or so. Every vocalist is trying to be Jon Anderson, Peter Gabriel or Steve Wilson. The instrumentation is consistantly good for the most part, but there's nothing there I haven't heard before or its all muddled in Nu-Metal/Alternative excremental influences which we all started hearing with Porcupine Tree on Deadwing but has now seeped in to everyone else's sound (with maybe Frost* being the only exception, but they're a studio project anyway). And The Flower Kings...screw em': they're just an overly prolific, boring and lyrically simplistic grandchild of Yes. You just need one album by them and you don't need anything else from them.

So what's left at the end for those who were looking for good modern prog.? Nothing: you lose hope that you'll find anything different and move on to bigger and better things.

Yet every once in awhile, something is different. You hear a band like Moon Safari and your faith and curiosity are renewed in the entire genre. Someone has opened a window and lets new wind blow the staleness out, and now you have a reason to be excited again!

So, on the album review: Blomljud is this Swedish outfit's sophomore album, an elaboration/maturation of sorts from 2005's A Doorway to Summer, which was nice but nothing special. Back then, I simply would have written Moon Safari as The Flower Kings' forgettable second cousin and moved onto something more interesting. But three years is a long time. More than enough time, actually, for a group who wants to elevate themselves above their competition to actually reach that goal. The result of that growth is this record, and its one of the best I've heard within the Symphonic genre a lonnnnnng time.

Aside from the rather refreshing emphasis on the folk side of prog. which so many other bands seem to have thrown away, what stood out for me the most were the vocals when I first picked up the album. When multi-instrumentalists Simon Akesson and Petter Sandstrom share the mike and stage together, it felt like someone had cloned The Beach Boys and gave them richer voices to sing their hearts out with. Rarely do vocals stand out in progressive rock of any kind, but for once I can give everyone my assurances that Moon Safari is TOP-NOTCH on this front, and it was a pleasant surprise for me.

The second thing that will strike you, if you pay attention, are the simple YET intelligently arranged lyrical/musical themes (a weak point in most modern day progressive rock) that emerge often enough to give this album a measure of enjoyabe consistency. Because along with commentary on man's relationship with technology (In the Countryside), nostalgia of a simpler past (Yasgur's Farm, Constant Bloom), the music itself is warm as summer and unusually memorable to me considering all that I've heard. Tracks like the instrumental 'Moonwalk' can be almost hallucinatory when you close your eyes and lay out in a quiet place for Pate's sake! And I can't forget the stand-out 'Other Half of the Sky', which is 30 minutes of the sort of pastoral harmony that only comes around once in a thousand CDs. :laughing:

So yeah, Symphonic Prog. did not die with Yes or the Canterbury bands like the purists would have you think. The spirit still lives on in bands like Moon Safari, who bring ingenuity and inventiveness but still giving us a poignant glimpse into a glorious time in music when masterpieces like Close to the Edge and In The Land of the Grey and Pink were at the forefront of the minds and hearts of listeners, lifting souls up and giving people the sort of joy that makes them want to go on living.

Maybe other groups will see the light and pick up a few pointers from this modern-day masterpiece. We have enough Porcupine Trees out there to make a forest after all, lol!!


The vid. below is Yasgur's Farm, one of the best tracks on the album. It's harder than some of the other tracks, but its definitely a highlight. If you like it, tell me and I'll PM this album to you!!

[/QUOTE]

By the way, Blomljud is cool .. I checked'em out briefly and liked what I heard, despite them being .. you know. Swedes.

anteater i love this thread. I'm gonna look up some of these albums tomorrow. So good to see some love for Level 42 on here, is there much point in me straying beyond the super-pop confines of the 2-disc Best Of you think?
Also I just managed to get a copy of the SBB album. What's the deal are these records only available as vinyl rips?

Two artists you should cover if you are into them and check out if you are not: Ramases and (early) Split Enz

molly x

Thanks everyone, glad to see the thread is being followed by a fair audience. I'll check those two out definitely Molecules. :)

With this next review, we're going back to prog. territory...with a metal touch. :)



Let me get my fanboyism out of the way before I start this review: Pain of Salvation is the ****ing bomb! Daniel Gildenlow is one of the more creative vocalists to emerge in ANY genre over the last two decades, and his guitar playing isn't plagued by the riff-wankery which you hear in every other goddamn "progressive" metal band like Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Redemption, Kamelot, etc. And yes, I hate most prog. metal with a passion. I despise the nearly exclusive emphasis on riffing and technical playing over the ability to compose and perform INTERESTING music which doesn't sound like somebody else. I hate talentless hacks like Jamie LaBrie and Michael Eriksen who crack on high notes and are otherwise impossible to decipher through their gibberish. And the fans of these bands who claim they're the God of Metal's ****ing gift to man....christ!!

Well, all that aside, Pain of Salvation have been among my favorite metal-influenced bands for several years now, and this particular album is my favorite of theirs because, honestly, it comes together better as a whole than any metal album I've had the pleasure of listening to, and hence stands out even amidst PoS's exceptional discography. The guitar, drums, base and keyboards all fall into place as expected, but the real strength here is the arrangement of these things in a way that feels distinct and fresh to ears jaded by the antics of bands both adventurous and boring.

Whether its the opening guitar movement on 'A Trace of Blood' (my favorite on the album; a song dealing with a miscarriage of all things!), the almost danceable keyboard waltzing on 'Fandango', that Bends-era Radiohead melancholy which pervades 'Second Love'...there is genuine sincerity here. And not just sincerity, but strength in the songs and sentiments alike: Daniel croons and cries and gutterally screams about a man's search for love and freedom in his lifetime, which is Remedy Lane's central thematic axis, and I find stuff like that rather easy to relate to.

In conclusion, I have only this to say: A prog. metal album in this day and age of this measure is, unfortunately, difficult to come by. Too many have forgotten what it means to create something that is more than serviceable, folks who switch time signatures and play dissonantly for the sake of nothing. Hence I recommend Pain of Salvation's Remedy Lane without reservations. Go get this album NOW!

...and here's a Trace of Blood for everyone to preview:

Missed this thread completely so far. Send Dracula's Music Cabinet this way too! The curiosity is killing me. I've been meaning to check out Moon Safari as well.

And nice reviews of The Residents and Pain of Salvation. Daniel Gildenlow's main influence is, I'm guessing, Faith No More/Mike Patton. If you've noticed, Entropia has some similarities with a lot of FNM's output. Not to forget, the vocals have similarities as well. But I'd agree ---- he's definitely one of the best modern day vocalist. Many would call them 'pretentious' but I think this man speaks his heart...even if he used to hate America :laughing:.

Now that you mention it, I was actually considering picking Entropia over Remedy Lane, but since I consider the latter more varied and less of a story-based concept album, I ended up with my previous review. :laughing:

Now, on to the main attraction!! Today's obcure prog. gem review has to do with...*drumroll*.......SATAN!


Ah, the occult. Demons and Satan and the damnation of the human soul...all of which unfortunately become part of a great cliche which pervaded so much heavy metal from the 80's onwards and has since become a thing of derision for those who despise the era. And, if you ask who gave rise to this trend which became prevalent in bands who formed at that time, you will receive the same answer from almost anyone who thinks they know a thing or two about music: "Black Sabbath".

The funny thing about common knowledge, however, is that there for every time something holds true, there are twice as many supposedly "common" facts which are DEAD WRONG. For although Black Sabbath were the first commercially successful group to incorporate the kind of Satanic imagery you'd hear talked about in Church back in 1968, there was one forgotten band in the woodwork who formed long before ol' Ozzy picked up the mike, a group who took such themes to a far darker and more interesting place with this 1970 LP, Sacrifice, a little known bunch who originally formed in 1966 as Pesky Gee!, incorporating devilish themes into their various shows until they broke up and reformed in 1969 as....

Yep, you guessed it. Black Widow. One of the best bands of that time period...who nobody really knows about. But then again, that is why this review is here, to inform the masses that they existed and are waiting to be listened to!! :yeah:

The Review: This album actually hit #32 on the U.K. Albums Chart back in '70, but it was quickly forgotten within a week or so despite how different it was from anything else being done at the time. Flute, sax, a little bit of organ, and plenty of crazy keyboard and guitar antics all about Satan and Hell and all sorts of controversial things pervade this album....and yet its all so upbeat, anthemic even, despite the occult edge and ensuing controversy that this album's release caused upon release...before being forgotten anyway.

Well anyway, I would consider this album very proggy in places (especially the title track), a route Sabbath wouldn't take at all unfortunately. The arrangements defy the chorus-bridge structure for the most part, and there's lots of jazzy interludes amidst the sort of drumming, flute, and guitar playing you'd associate with Krautrock bands of that time. Lyrically its nothing to write home about, as I'm not a Satanist and find that whole thing humorous for the most part. Still, my enjoyment of the album is not lessened because, on the instrumental and delivery side of things, its ****in' jamming!!

So, if you're interested in what Satanic proto-prog/jazz-rock sounded like back in the day, I'd give Sacrifice a whirl for the...hell of it. Its fun, instrumentally and compositionally sharp/inventive, and it leaves quite the impression on a would-be listener like a good record should. Highly recommended.


Here is a YouTube vid of my favorite track from the album, In Ancient Days. Bon apetit'.

I disagree, Electric Wizard and several "real" metal bands use the occultic pulp image and it works quite well for them. The 80's was all about the musicians wearing half-shirts or tight leather. *shiver*

Wee, In Ancient Days sounds great .. Getting it. :D

Thanks again Ant-man!

ANTETTREYTE FG

I was played Sabbath Days down the phone once and i forgot about them! Can I get a PM, i will make it wirth your while. with virtual hugs

*hugs*

Darn you, now everyone knows that my weak point is hugs from the opposite sex!! :p:

Time for a review of an album I've been digging for awhile-


So, what happens when you put saxophone god David Jackson from VDGG together with guitarist Roine Stolt and bassist Jonas Reingold of Flower Kings fame? Furthermore, what happens when symphonic prog, funk, jazz, electronica and the Canterbury Scene all get mashed together into a tasty brew that actually ends up tasting really, really freakin' good?

Ladies and gents, please give a round of applause to The Tangent, who with this debut manage to all of this and more with spades. :)

Thematically, this debut doesn't really cover any new ground that other bands and artists haven't treaded upon before. Nostalgia for past decades, the nature of memory, the spirit of human indecision, etc etc. What we DO hear here that is so hard to come by in modern day prog., though, is a willingness to do other things besides pretending to be another Genesis or Yes. Each track on this debut is a lengthy execution is a different style while retaining a core sound, and the result is great indeed: 'In Darkest Dreams' is the symphonic suite and album opener, sax and guitar taking center stage, while 'The Canterbury Sequence' (my favorite!!) shifts into a unique but very nostalgic sonic recreation of Caravan circa 1971 and Hatfield in terms of style, with verrrrrry jazzy flute and vocal harmonization emphasized. And seriously, how many bands these days even TRY to sound Canterburyish, much less recreate the mood? Wonderful song!!

/gushing off

Anyway...the album's second half has its own share of surprises too. 'Uphill From Here' pulses heavy from the very start, held afloat from below by the sorta electronica vibes you'd expect at a local club. Not bad at all But when we come to the 'title track', we are in for something that sounds like a culmination of the last 3 tracks approaches, but isn't. Its a tour-de-force, morphing itself several times in between the fuzzy sax and piano interludes, excusing itself in ways the rest of the album didn't, ending on a blurry, tranquil note, with flute and piano and electric wahwahs reminiscent of Close to the Edge bidding farawell into the silence and you go "Wow! That was pretty good!"

Review out of the way, I have a few other thoughts in regards to why I consider this worthy of acclaim. I still get surprised every once in awhile, but given my love of Canterbury and jazz-related music, an album like this strikes as especially appealing compared to a lot I hear, because it draws you in with a sound that you just don't really get anymore in most European or American prog. bands. My opinion is that while other outfits stick to their symphonic guns and perform in their niche with overrated virtosity, the kind of jazz-lounge feel you get when listening to The Tangent seems rediculously novel compared to, say, Spock's Beard, Dream Theater or Transatlantic who get praised to high heaven for doing nothing new or even remotely engaging. And don't even get me started on groups like Mostly Autumn or Arena... :rolleyes:

Overall, a highly recommended debut from a distinguished group too frequently overlooked by modern day prog. enthusiasts who think The Mars Volta is the only good thing out there. Eat socks!!!


Oh yes, here is one of their rare live performances (the track is from A Place in the Queue, not this album). Enjoy!

Hey Ant! You finally reviewed an album I have! :)
Yes, it's a great slice of music, and I do believe I'll listen to it again tonight. Very different, and totally engaging. Nice review!
BTW I think you mean Mostly Autumn, not Simply?
And what's wrong with Arena? :D
I know people here frown on music that doesn't push the boundaries, but I just love both of the abovementioned bands for their own sake. They may not do anything particularly new or groundbreaking, but what they do, they do well, and to me, that's really all you should expect of a band.
But then, that's me...
Boring Trollheart, Stuck In A Groove...

come, come, come to the Sabbat, SATAN'S THERE

*ahem*

Thanks for getting me into the Vampires of Dartmoore, what a great one-off, a nice treat. I've read some dissenting opinion, people moaning about it but they are idiots who have no appreciation of... whatever it is. It's a great album to listen to in bed, the closest thing I can equate it to is the soundtrack to a demented 70's porn movie. 10 out of 10's a fair score I think. I'm looking for the Pazop album now, looking forward to this.

I am skeptical about all the contemporary albums you are reviewing though, if it's new in a proggy vein I am generally in danger of hating it; I like the crappy masters of old out-of-print 70's stuff, where the loudness isn't through the roof and the guitars aren't too distorted.

Oh, I'm verrrrrry critical of most contemporary prog. rock and metal, mostly because I feel that much of what I love has been diluted for the sake of being relevant to today's generation of listeners who are used to gel-slick production and emphasis on guitar-shredding (Dream Theater, Shadow Gallery, Pendragon, Knight Area, etc) instead of song-structure and composition. Furthermore, the priortization of these latter traits are what gave groups like Anglagard and The Flower Kings a songwriting edge over their more metallic peers back in the 90's, yet on the flip-side plain to see which traditions have spawned more bands and draw larger crowds, as events like Progressive Nation '08 shamelessly illustrate. :banghead:

Hence, when I do review a prog. album from after 2000, its usually because find it reminiscent (but not derivitive completely) of the things I enjoy in the genre or because it stands out in some way. :p:

But I gotta say though, and maybe its just me, but I really miss the eclectic lyric sensibilities that King Crimson and Yes had back in the 70's that seem absent in a lot of alternative and prog. today. And I'm not talking about The Mars Volta's nonsense or Radiohead's melancholic musings (which are both fine), but that poetic grasp of language which could mean anything or nothing and not hinder one's enjoyment of a song at all. Just like how people used to go pick up vinyls back in stores where the covers and packaging enhanced one's appreciation of the music, that sort of word sense seems to be going extinct. :(

Don't worry about it, I'll send him some african psych-rock for good measure. And some very obscure krautrock and no-wave.

Sorry, I was fick and didn't read the moon safari post, just the date attributed to it, indeed it sounds like the perfect antidote to the poison that ails neo-prog. I am going to get the album tomorrow. My album acquisitions of late have slowed to mainly incorporate the updates made to this and Cellartapes' blog, so I have the time to listen, and I know I be getting quality music. Where's Comus lately? There are a lot of albums cropping up and he's missing them!
The Pazop album is pretty immense, Belgian mentalist prog with fiddles and everything. Each song is a concentrated blast of progressiveness and they're all surprisingly short... like Gentle Giant with ADD. Couple of songs fall short of the mark but on a 16 track album it's makes no odds.
Also Anteater see what you think of the last album I reviewed in the 60's psych thread (it's a 1971 release:confused:), hopefully you'd like that, link's included.