The word surprise ought to occur many times in this review.
Progressive Ears is Sea Of Tranquility's sister-site, and is the premier forum for progressive music fans and musicians to discuss every aspect of the prog life. Earsongs III is the third in a series of albums featuring a collection of the music of the active members of the Progressive Ears forum. Those of us who are members of that august community know these artists, we banter with them and trade serious opinions about music, and in many cases, we've become friends with them. I have discussed music with at least a dozen of the artists on this trilogy of CDs, and I always knew they could play an instrument or two. But to actually hear the stellar quality of the music these folks have produced was a revelation.
There are 13 tracks on Earsongs III, ranging from 2½ to 9½ minutes, totaling 73 minutes, and it'll be one of the more interesting one and a quarter hours you'll ever spend.
Dreadnaught: Album, Musica En Flagrante
Are Your Pants Down (Pants Down) / Pull Your Pants Down (Pants Down)
Dreadnaught is a 3-piece act, and this two-part piece is actually a combination of two separate tracks on the album. This all instrumental cut starts with drum rolls and a strangely dissonant piano, then enter spacey keys over a heavy, very deep bass, then tacet, and a very distorted guitar begins an unusually simple motif, accompanied by a deep, resonant, dominant bass, which becomes the basis for the remaining 2½ minutes which will have you tapping your feet to a sort of stoner rock
Little Atlas: Album, Surface Serene
Surface Serene (Click here for our review of this album)
Little Atlas is a 5-Piece act from Florida. This song starts with a soft keyboard introduction, then enter the bass and drums and a guitar hammering heavy power chords, and just as suddenly, it pulls back. The vocals are ballad-soft and the simple melody is barbed with hooks, and accompanied by elegant keyboard and guitar led instrumentation. The piece swells and recedes and swells again in a slow, tantric rhythm, subtly different each time, but always returning to that theme introduced in the first 10 seconds. Listen for the wailing guitar solo in the closing minute before the song fades gently away – and now you know why Little Atlas has received so much attention lately.
Ghost of Pompeii: Album, The Last Days Of Pompeii Vol. I
Temple Of Hatshepsut
This one wasn't a surprise, only because I am already the proud owner of The Last Days Of Pompeii Volumes I and II. Ghosts Of Pompeii is a one-man project of multi-talented Joe Shingler, and the Last Days albums conclude a long storyline 'told' by a body of instrumental music spread over a several albums. The 7-minute track starts with a heavy percussion and bass motif with a distorted guitar and a keyboard riff that loop along the bottom, while a variety of sounds are introduced into the mix. Just as you're getting comfortable, there's a major tempo shift and whole tone changes. Now we're into an Egyptian / Middle Eastern world music punctuated by a variety of very non-Egyptian effects – ranging from xylophone to a huge bass. Several themes recur and develop through this mini-epic, and by the end you've been taken on a heady trip through rock, ambient, new age, ethnic and electronica. Joe is known for his keyboards, but the percussion dominates this piece.
Bubblemath: Album, Such Fine Particles Of The Universe
Be Together (Click here for our review of this album)
Bubblemath is a 5-piece band from Minnesota. Their music is fast-paced and unpredictable, and you can't count the number of themes that develop, disappear, and pop up again. It is frantic, busy music, more fun than serious, yet seriously complex. The mix of instrumentation is reasonably standard, but the walls of instrumentation and multipart vocals are the signature sound here. It ends with a masterful multi-part vocal section singing rounds over soft piano, then the instrumentation builds up from almost nothing to an increasingly quick, overwhelming assault, which suddenly – stops! Hard-edged, complex art-rock.
Big Block 454
I Name This Child Acker Bilk
This one really defies description, but we'll try. The band's web site describes Big Block 454 as a "post-modern, / situationist neo-dada musical compositional construct from Manchester, England". (All I understand in that sentence is "Manchester, England"!) The song starts with heavy bass, rhythmic percussion and a scratchy washboard. Enter an elegantly simple acoustic guitar piece, and the words "Warm water, cold milk, I name this child Acker Bilk". Whatever that means, it is like a mantra – repeated, spoken not sung, now with a heavy English midlands accent (Warm wa'er) now in clean Queen's English. There's a break around the middle, with spacey keyboards and sampled sounds floating over that acoustic guitar. Then – another sudden tempo shift – and the pace gets heavy, the vocals are angry, and the mantra is now "No food, no fun, I want a knife to butter my bun…". Don't ask what it means. It doesn't matter. Just crank up the volume and let yourself be carried away by the mood and the effects. And I don't have a clue what "situationist neo-dada musical" means, but think of this as a crossover between world music and English rap.
Man in Space: Album, For Medicinal Use Only
Dance Of The Three-Legged Snake
Man In Space is a European 4-piece instrumental act. This piece starts with deep, dark keys, a synth floats in, and a Middle Eastern theme is introduced played on strings, then wind, then the guitar mimics the ethnic tunes. All the while there's a heavy bass rumble at the bottom that will have your woofer dancing. Half-way through the 7-minute piece there's a break, and standard percussion and distorted guitars dominate for a short time, just to remind you that you are – in fact – listening to rock. Then we're back to that mid-eastern theme, but now the distorted lead guitar picks up the theme and the whole sound has moved toward punk – except that those spacey keys never quite leave the room. That mid-eastern theme predominates. It is a simple tune which is developed and revisited by a variety of instruments throughout. Hawkwind has met King Crimson, and their child is called Man In Space.
Second Sufis: Album, Infectious Substance
Eternal Golden Braid
A short 3-minute piece, "Eternal Golden Braid" is an instrumental piece led by two acoustic guitars driving the piece along at an insistent pace, played in a style that will evoke images of the California Guitar Trio. Ambient effects float over the guitars, and the unstructured keyboard tones provide an interesting contrast to the very tightly played guitars.
The Owl Watches: Album, Tales From The Inflatable Forest
In Three Days
It doesn't take three days – it takes just 2½ minutes, and it's the shortest track on the album. The Owl Watches is a one-man project, and this is an instrumental piece that starts slowly, and rambles on with a simple basic theme and some unusual chord progressions. It's all on guitar, played acoustic style, with lots of reverb and a heavy slapback at times. In Three Days is a gentle piece, relaxing, but interesting.
The Red Masque: Album, Beggars & Thieves (Promotional Single)
Beggars And Thieves
This song ranges from a dark medieval folk to avant garde & back again. For lack of a better description, I would call it "avant garde gothic folk". The first few minutes comprise deep acoustic guitar with a mandolin picking out a few high notes, accompanying a melodic, rich female chant Then two acoustic guitars play a wonderfully complex passage, but listen for the eerie high pitched choruses of wailing fem vocal effects way in the background. There's a distinct change in pace as Lynette's singing calls to mind a deeper voiced Loreena McKennitt, or a brooding Candice Night. It is a medieval sounding piece, but those spooky vocals give it a chilling effect. At the 5-minute mark only the guitars and the mandolin retain any medieval effect, then we're into avant garde territory. The two guitars and the bass pick out seemingly random notes in the high registers, with little apparent reference to the original theme. Then the song returns, and the world becomes a pleasantly melodic place again. Very impressive, very gothic, very dark.
Visual Cliff: Album, Key To Eternity
Key To Eternity (Click here for our review of this album)
Again, no surprises here, since I own copies of both of Visual Cliff's CDs. Visual Cliff is a 3-man instrumental-only band, who makes no secret of their strong religious convictions. This album won Sea Of Tranquility's "best fusion album of 2003" poll by a substantial margin, although in fairness, it's hard to categorize it as strictly "fusion". This track starts with ambient keys over acoustic-style guitar, then the drums and bass break in, accompanying some masterful guitar work. There are numerous changes as the piece works its way from melodic- through fusion- to hard-rock.
Contrary
Rialto Drive-In 21 November 1963
This starts out as a gentle piece led by well-played (nylon string) classical guitar, and keys. Midway through the song there are old-time sci-fi voice-overs, held back in the mix, and the piece starts to rock at a more aggressive pace. The piano work moves to the base keys and, along with the bass guitar, it drives the pace relentlessly. There's a honky-tonk passage followed by various other sampled passages, then a moog is introduced with a soulful, ethereal wail. You'll be tapping your feet and nodding your head until the piece changes again, moving into more voice-overs and multiple electronic effects. This track changes and changes and by the end that gentle introduction is long forgotten.
Karda Estra: Album, Constellations
The Southern Cross (Click here for our review of this album)
Karda Estra is the one-man instrumental-only project of Richard Wileman – who invites numerous guest artists to participate in his work. "The Southern Cross" is a slow, moving piece driven by keyboards, structured with the precision and elegance of classical music. A (sampled?) Hammond underpins the piece, while sampled winds lead the gentle, romantic melody Simply brilliant.
Big Big Train: Album, Bard
The Last English King
Big Big Train is an excellent, seriously underrated neo progressive rock band from the UK. The last English King is awash with three-part vocal harmonies, mellotrons, and a throaty singer whose hoarse delivery may be a bit abrasive at first, but grows on you with repeated listens. It starts as a semi-acoustic piece, with Big Big Train's signature 12-string guitar strumming in the background, keys and a heavy bass, and those laid back, somewhat atonal vocals. The piece meanders through choral vocals and back to acoustic sections and builds up again to a well textured instrumental passage near the end, with 'trons, guitar solos, and a strong bass line. This is a very professional piece, but wait 'til you hear Big Big Train's new album Gathering Speed, a concept album about a pilot on the second world war.
Personal favorites? Little Atlas and Karda Estra tied, and beat Big Big Train and The Red Masque by just a whisker, but those favorites changed with each listen and by tomorrow a different set of tracks will probably be at the top of the stack.
I shouldn't be surprised that Progressive Ears did a great job with this compilation, and I deeply appreciate being a part of that community.
Track Listing:
1. Dreadnaught Are Your Pants Down (Pants Down) / Pull Your Pants Down (Pants Down) (3:40)
2. Little Atlas Surface Serene (4:50)
3. Ghost of Pompeii Temple Of Hatshepsut (7:03)
4. Bubblemath Be Together (5:37)
5. Big Block 454 I Name This Child Acker Bilk (5:28)
6. Man in Space Dance Of The Three-Legged Snake (7:00)
7. Second Sufis Eternal Golden braid (3:13)
8. The Owl Watches In Three Days (2:24)
9. The Red Masque Beggars And Thieves (9:36)
10.Visual Cliff Key To Eternity (5:44)
11.Contrary Rialto Drive-In 21 November 1963 (7:25)
12.Karda Estra The Southern Cross (5:09)
13.Big Big Train The Last English King (5:51)
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