Cliveden Set, The: The Cliveden Set

From northern Indiana hails multi-instrumentalist Shane Lindeman, currently involved with a couple bands; Slickmoss (a mixture of bluegrass, folk, and rock) and Rusted Springs Band (a Grateful Dead cover band), both of which are unknown to me. Lindeman has now released his first solo album; the self-titled project known as The Cliveden Set.

The core of this 2020 release is Lindeman (keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, melodica) and Joseph Largent (drums). Guests include Thomas Matecki (flute solo on “Sunset�), Marco Villareal (guitar solo on “New World Kibble�), and Mike Regnier (mandolin on “Closer�).

Symphonic progressive rock in the vein of early '70s bands like Genesis and Camel is mainly the band’s intent but also delve into melodic prog fusion. Lindeman is an excellent musician, very proficient on the keyboards and guitar providing many eloquent solos throughout the album’s seven tracks.

A pretty acoustic guitar and tasteful musical passages makes “Opener� a fine start to the album. It is quite majestic over its short two minute plus length. For a darker and moodier vibe try out “Cliveden Rising�, very atmospheric with some lighter moments as well. This is a nice homage to ‘70s symphonic prog of the mellower variety. With “Cave Part I: Impenetrable Blackness� the music takes on a darker ambient nature before bursting forth with “Cave Part II: Emerging Light�, a tasty mixture of symphonic prog and fusion. Lindeman certainly has an ear for melody.

I should also mention the drum work of Largent as he shows a subtle finesse on the kit, providing more than a few intricate passages.

Overall, The Cliveden Set is an impressive debut album. I think fans of ‘70s symphonic progressive rock will find much to enjoy and should check it out. After all, we should all do our part in supporting talented artists in this small corner of the world we call progressive rock.

Track Listing:
1. Opener (2:19)
2. Cliveden Rising (4:28)
3. Cave Part I: Impenetrable Blackness (6:40)
4. Cave Part II: Emerging Light (10:24)
5. Sunset (6:06)
6. New World Kibble (10:00)
7. Closer (2:34)

Added: August 23rd 2021
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's Official Site
Hits: 450
Language: english

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