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TCP: The Way
 10t Records has been quietly making a name for themselves the last few years as one of the up and coming progressive rock labels, concentrating more on quality releases rather than signing any band they can get their hands on. Their latest discovery is TCP, a trio comprised of three musicians from the East Coast: Henry Tarnecky - vocals (Pennsylvania), Blake Tobias - keyboards/ bass (New York), and Jack Wright - guitars/ drums (Maryland). Their debut The Way is a satisfying slice of classic 70's prog sounds with a modern touch, the band creating dark soundscapes, catchy melodies, and leaving plenty of room for tasty guitar and keyboard explorations.
At nearly 75 minutes long, there's a lot to take in here, but the ride is well worth it. Opening cut "You Can Never Know" is a memorable & catchy number, layers of keyboards drenching the uptempo arrangements, Tarnecky's vocals drawing you right into the alluring melodies. "I'm Me" sees the band taking on a early Marillion/Genesis vibe, waves of Mellotron, Gabriel/Fish styled vocals, and plenty of aggressive guitar work filling in the mix. At just over 8-minutes long, the band throws in plenty of curveballs here, even dropping in some stellar acoustic moments after the heavier middle section. Gorgeous piano, Mellotron, and liquid guitar lines lead in the quirky "Mankind", another Gabriel-era Genesis flavored piece, this one about what the future might hold for the human race, and according to the band it might not be pretty. Plenty of keyboard and guitar solos as well on this one for all the vintage prog fans to sink their teeth into. The band bursts into an almost Dream Theater-ish stomp on the beefy "Heavy Billy", a ripping instrumental that lets the band show off their musical muscles, and tone things down for the pastoral "Sheep", a Mellotron drenched gem that has the 70's plastered all over it. "He's Like You" is a dark, almost prog-metal styled piece, which leads into the symphonic instrumental "Road to 2012", a track with some well arranged keyboard textures and tasty guitar melodies. More dark & almost chilling prog can be found on the haunting "Hypatia", Tarnecky again conjuring up images of Peter Gabriel amidst the waves of ominous Mellotron, and the dynamic pairing of his voice and the mighty Mellotron once show up on the CDs longest epic "She", a near 11-minute gem filled with drama and powerful musical passages, as well as chilling lyrics. The title track just might be the only semi weak song here, this one more in the standard neo-prog format that we hear so much of these days, though the jangly guitar riffs mixed with Mellotron make for a nice effect, The closing instrumental "Liberate Me" pairs some complex Gentle Giant inspired passages with melodic, symphonic, progressive fusion, for a great ending to the CD.
This is thoroughly enjoyable stuff here, TCP paying homage to their heroes from the 70's yet creating a CD that can be listened to and enjoyed for its modern sensibilities. Mellotron lovers dig in deep, as there's plenty of sumptuous sounds to be heard here, alongside a plethora of other keyboard tapestries, stellar guitar work, and tight grooves. The Way is, quite simply, way cool.
Track Listing
- You Can Never Know
- I'm Me
- Mankind
- Heavy Billy
- Sheep
- He's Like You
- Road to 2012
- Hypatia
- She
- The Way
- Liberate Me
Added: June 15th 2009
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:  
Related Link: 10t Records
Hits: 1608
Language: english
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TCP: The Way
Posted by Denis Brunelle, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-06-15 17:43:01
My Score:
TCP is some kind of Genesis/Marillion clone. The vocals are a mixture of Fish/Peter Gabriel with an early David Bowie touch, when the higher notes are present. This is somewhat goofy and slightly queer, while ruining the mood of what they are trying to create. In most cases, progressive music of modern times would be better off without a "singer".
Fortunately, the music is more pleasant to listen to, and three of the compositions are instrumentals. I found The Way lasting too long. A chunk of 30 minutes could have been removed to give a better result, since some of the compositions lack consistency at times. The good news is that this disc also has its moments, where your can hear interesting progressive music with atmosphere and a bit of a darker side. Hammond organ, mellotron, acoustic twelve strings, plus a bit of samplings & clean arpeggios are welcome delicacies, as always. The Way is more on the mellow side, with a somewhat diluted formula. Oh, they even had the nerves to include a Pink Floyd-ish tune subtly called: "Sheep"…
Still, a few compositions are worth mentioning such as: "You Can Never Know", "Heavy Billy" and "He's Like You".
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TCP: The Way
Posted by Jon Neudorf, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-05-06 20:48:29
My Score:
Another new band has hit the airwaves hoping to make an impact. The debut album from east coast band TCP entitled The Way should make waves in the eyes of progressive rock fans. Their style pays homage to 70s greats like Genesis, but they are not copycats by any means. They incorporate modern sounds in their old style approach that sounds absolutely fantastic to these ears. With a running time over seventy minutes the songs are long enough to explore different musical themes and textures allowing the players to fully utilize their potential. The dynamics of the music is impressive with harder sections almost venturing into progressive metal territory, but mostly staying in the confines of rock while the mellower acoustic interludes add a great deal of variety here ensuring boredom never sets in.
The album begins with the jangly rhythms of "You Can Never Know", boasting muted sounding synths and a great little 60s influenced guitar riff. The quiet section is heavily orchestrated and Tarrnecky's vocals remind me of David Bowie, as they do for much of the disc. For me, that is a huge plus as so often vocals are not up to snuff. Not so here. There is also a ripping guitar solo that puts the final touches on a great album opener. Acoustic guitar starts off "I'm Me" with more excellent synths and a crunchier part that tips a hat to Dream Theater. Again, the vocals have a Bowie feel and at times the music does as well. There is so much contrast in these songs making them a real joy to listen to. "Mankind" starts with lovely piano and has excellent drums throughout. The dramatic nature of the music, especially the guitar work, remind me of Everon. The heavier chords of "Heavy Billy" push towards progressive metal with keyboards and electric guitar playing off one another and synths weaving throughout. The organ sounds of "Sheep" adds a dramatic flair to the proceedings and heavier rhythms and a cool guitar solo help to flesh out the sound.
I could go on but I will stop there. There are no weak songs here making for a very consistent effort which is even more impressive when one considers this is TCP's first album. If you appreciate 70s progressive rock albeit with a modern twist I urge you to seek out The Way. You will not be disappointed.
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TCP: The Way
Posted by Dean Pedley, SoT Staff Writer on 2009-05-06 05:51:03
My Score:
Promising debut album from this US prog trio who have their core membership expanded by a variety of supporting musicians. A lengthy release at more than 70 minutes across the eleven tracks you will experience a healthy blend of old and new progressive tendencies with names such as Gentle Giant, Genesis, Marillion, IQ and David Bowie all coming to mind. Lead vocalist Henry Tarnecky has a gentle, understated and fragile quality that certainly has some of the traits associated with 70's era Bowie and this shapes the bands overall sound.
Opener 'You Can Never Know' could be considered an unusual choice to lead the album, taking in several changes of tempo and without a defined hook but it makes for a quirky start. Deft keyboard flourishes provided by Blake Tobias are a feature of the art rock styled 'Mankind' that leads nicely into the muscular instrumental 'Heavy Billy' written by Jack Wright who offers up some choppy riffs. 'Sheep' is arguably the centrepiece of the album where it all really comes together and, leaving aside the obvious Floyd connotations, this is a Mellotron enriched epic that also has some renaissance styled acoustics that allow the song to flow beautifully well. Fans of Gabriel era Genesis will delight in Tarnecky's vocals on this one. I've only highlighted a few songs here but this really comes highly recommended with some clever and creative arrangements that make this a hugely entertaining listen and TCP have made an excellent start to their recording career
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TCP: The Way
Posted by Michael Pennington on 2009-04-30 18:58:12
My Score:
I can't believe that the Genesis discussion boards aren't buzzing about TCP and "The Way." These guys have taken the Gabriel era Genesis sound and given us a CD that drips with the sensibilities and flavor of that classic period of the band without going in for the overt clone attempts of other bands (like Citizen Cain or The Watch for instance).
TCP have their own sound, but Gabriel and the 70's version of Genesis are an obvious creative muse, especially on lead vocalist Tarnecky whose phrasing and timbre are clearly inspired by the former Genesis front man. But best of all, the material and musicianship are top drawer! Highly recommended!
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