Some new progressive-rock bands already have proven that long-distance musical collaborations – accomplished by exchanging music, piece by piece, over the Internet – can be effective. For proof, look no further than Ghost Circus, a duo based in The Netherlands and Tennessee that recently released its second album, Across the Line. Not all bands are so adept at this process, though, as evidenced by Audiocracy.
This collective's debut CD, Revolution's Son, is a concept album about a revolutionary who hopes to become a catalyst for change and a prophet of truth. He falls into an underground scene, though, that urges a more sinister approach to change. According to the band, the lyrics are "an impressionistic journey of a young man trying to find his way through expectation, arrogance, betrayal, disillusionment and, finally, rebirth. Audiocracy, which pulls players from the United States, Canada and Japan, aspires to the musical levels of Yes and the Flower Kings, attempts to rekindle New-Wave art rock from the Eighties and sounds like a contemporary of A.C.T. The result is a mish-mash of keyboard-driven neo-progressive rock that at times seems considerably more amateurish than you would expect from a quartet whose members bring years of experience to the band. Keyboardist and band leader Tobin Mueller, for example, has gigged with Dave Brubeck and Maynard Ferguson. There are hints of greater things on the opening track, "The Dream: Revolution's Son," which recalls Trevor Rabin-era Yes, but the prevalence of shaky lead and harmony vocals and a lack of hooks leads to a letdown.
Track Listing:
Part I) The Dream: Revolution's Son
Part II) The Hope: Puzzle City
Part III) The Underground: Escape into the Fray Zone
Part IV) The Confrontation: Speak Truth to Power
Part V) The Extinction: Gethsemane Again
Part VI) The Survivors: When the Future Comes
Part VII) The Re-Emergence: Dare to Sing
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