It's great to see a progressive rock website like Progressive Ears, and especially one so closely tied to us here at Sea of Tranquility, embrace the fact that many of its loyal members are in fact part of new and established musical acts. The result is the three CD collection called Earsongs, containing numerous songs from many of the bands and artists who regularly grace the many forums and discussions on Progressive Ears. This review will cover the first CD in the series.
Kicking things off with The Red Masque's "Tidal" from their 2001 EP Death of the Red Masque we get treated to this unique bands dark and gothic take on early King Crimson. Haunting vocal passages from Lynnette Shelley soar over the brooding and at times thunderous musical mayhem of her bandmates. Jagged guitar lines, booming bass, crashing drums, and odd sound effects permeate the mix on this creepy and chilling 10- minute track. A nightmarish, yet excellent opening statement to this compilation.
Scott Mosher's "Re-Define" from his 2001 album Virtuality is an upbeat mix of neo-progressive rock, techno rhythms, and Rush attitude. His vocals sound very similar to Geddy Lee's, and the melodies are very catchy. Add in some tasty guitar and keyboard parts and you have a real winner from this promising multi-instrumentalist.
We go International with Menayeri and the song "Tiempo De Volver" from their third album Tiempoi Fugitivo. With vocals sung in Spanish, this band mixes heavy, prog metal guitar work with a strong Latin flavor, even throwing in some lovely acoustic flamenco guitar work and majestic keyboards. The drums however sound very flat, and overall the production needs an upgrade, but it's obvious the band has talent.
Mindworm from Atlanta, GA is up next with their song "Trolley", a very upbeat sounding piece that hints of bands like Man on Fire, Spock's Beard, Toy Matinee, and perhaps mid-70's era Genesis. It's a shame that the production is so muddy on this song, as I really dug the performance. There's a neat piano solo mid-way through the track, some nice keyboard work, an acrobatic guitar solo, plus the Gabriel-influenced vocals, all of which are pleasant to hear. I'd be interested to hear more from this band as they continue to progress.
"Get Thee Behind Me, Santa" from John Curtis, is a short little keyboard ditty, pleasant, yet too brief , although he has a nice synth sound going on.
Lyle Holdahl's "Labyrinth Suite", taken from his album Prog 2 hits the Genesis Wind and Wuthering theme hard, with vocals that sound amazingly like Phil Collins from that era. Pastoral & symphonic synths, melodic bass lines, Mellotron patches, all played on one keyboard. It's very safe yet pleasant stuff, but I would have liked to hear a little guitar thrown into the mix to spice things up a bit.
Phil McKenna (aka Prog Owl) gives us "A Gift Unopened", an ominous instrumental track that is like a head on collision between King Crimson and early Tangerine Dream. Featuring bubbling bass lines and haunting synths floating over crashing drums, this one changes mood and tempo many times over its 8-minute length. Throw in an interesting jazzy guitar solo that starts out mellow but eventually roars to "Lark's Tongues in Aspic" intensity over Mellotron-like synth passages, and you have a real intriguing number. Another artist I'd like to hear more from here.
I'm less impressed with Random's song "Castaway", a mellow rock track that, while pleasant enough, just seems out of place on this collection. Were it not for some atmospheric keyboards, this would surely find a home on any modern alternative rock album. The singer does have a very nice voice though, but the song never seems to really go anywhere, despite a nice hard rock guitar solo near the end of the song. I would have liked to hear them kick it up a notch a bit more.
Eric Kampman gives us his epic, near 13-minute "The Desert", a full-on keyboard prog assault, that hints at Tangerine Dream and Synergy. Taken from his 2001 CD The Well, Eric adds emotional vocals to the otherwise synth heavy arrangements, culminating in a symphonic, spacey ride. At times I was waiting for something a little more to happen, but I liked this nonetheless. This is another song that might have been improved with the addition of some guitar parts, as the overall sound is a bit cold. Eric is a good keyboard player, and perhaps with a full band he can really reach his potential.
John Curtis returns with notallwhowander on the prog-meets jazz of "Kirchenrahmen". Another very short piece, featuring nice keyboards and a tasty guitar solo, this one shows promise but is just too brief.
In summary, a good collection of tracks from "the homegrown artists" so to speak, and a collection that I think every progressive rock listener can get some enjoyment out of. I really dug tunes from The Red Masque, Phil McKenna, Scott Mosher,and Mindworm, but there is a ton of potential throughout this CD. We at Sea of Tranquility urge you to support the underground prog scene and check out this CD as well as Earsongs II & III.
Track Listing:
1) The Red Masque: Tidal (10:38)
2) Scott Mosher: Re-Define (6:28)
3) Menayeri: Tiempo De Volver (7:46)
4) Mindworm: Trolley (5:55)
5) John Curtis: Get Thee Behind Me, Santa (1:48)
6) Lyle Holdahl: Labyrinth Suite (9:25)
7) Phil McKenna (aka Prog Owl): A Gift Unopened (8:12)
8) Random: Castaway (4:23)
9) Eric Kampman: The Desert (12:44)
10) notallwhowander & John Curtis: Kirchenrahmen (1:05)
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
