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HOT NEW REVIEWS
DEVILFIRE
'BLACK SOUL VENDETTA' (ESCAPE THE FIRE RECORDS-UK IMPORT)
The Birmingham area in
the UK is a very interesting place for the fans of classic rock and melodic
hardrock, because there are lots of bands coming out of that region. The latest
sensation from Birmingham is DEVILFIRE, a band formed in 2013, with a debut
album release in 2017, which is now followed up by the impressive 2nd album
Black soul vendetta. Everything seems to sound excellent here, basically
picture perfect Melodic Hardrock is the name of the game. Vocally lead singer
and producer ALEX COOPER has a superb voice that suits the music really well
and along with a fabulous production, Black soul vendetta is a highly
recommended album. Cruelest animal starts the album and is a lovely classic
uptempo catchy chorus driven Melodic Hardrocksong that reminds me a bit of JADED
HEART, PINK CREAM ´69 and KHYMERA, while vocally it is close to DAVID READMAN
of PINK CREAM '69/KHYMERA. The album continues with this style and offers a lot
of great mostly uptempo Melodic Hardrock material, with as other highlights
Live a lie, Vendetta, Justify (excellent guitarwork) and the AORish You're
gonna break my heart. Make sure to check out this great band DEVILFIRE if
you're a fan of the aforementioned bands at: www.devilfire.co.uk
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
PYRAMID
THEOREM 'BEYOND THE EXOSPHERE' (INDEPENDENT/CANADA IMPORT)
When looking at the
names of the band PYRAMID THEOREM I honestly thought this was an Italian band,
because their line-up reads VITO DE FRANCESCO - Drums, CHRISTIAN DI MAMBRO - Bass/Vocals,
STEPHAN DI MAMBRO - Keyboard/Guitar/Vocals and SAM ERMELLINI - Lead
Guitar/Vocals, but they are actually coming out of Ontario, Canada. They have
been active for quite a while now and Beyond the exosphere is their 3rd album
so far. The included music is of an incredible high level and sounds like a
cross between DREAM THEATER, PYRAMAZE and DGM, so this is Melodic Progmetal and
it sounds very sensational, which is thanks to superb lead vocals, brilliant
instrumental complexity and lovely melodies all over the place. This is 'big
boy's progmetal, right in the upper league of aforementioned bands. Opener and
titletrack Beyond the exosphere is the wet dream for anyone who likes this
never-ending genre, because this is an 18 minutes counting epic melodic
progmetal masterpiece that contains everything this genre made so popular the
past 30 years. The other 4 songs are shorter, between 4 and 7 minutes of
playing time, but thankfully the incredible high level of the first sensational
song on this album, it can also be heard on the other songs (Under control and
Closer to the end are really superb, with both a beautiful melodic chorus).
These are the kind of records why we keep listening and reviewing to new
albums, because it puts a smile on your face when hearing so much talent into 1
song. The album was by the way produced and engineered by Rich Chycki (who has
worked on albums by established acts like RUSH, DREAM THEATER, AEROSMITH, PINK,
DEF LEPPARD...). The result is a huge sounding record and a must-have for any
fan of Melodic Progmetal! Although DGM delivered a sensational new record, the
new album of this Canadian band PYRAMID THEOREM is a close-call to become the
best Progmetal album of 2020! Check them out at: https://www.pyramidtheorem.ca/ and https://pyramidtheorem.bandcamp.com/music
(Points:
8.9 out of 10)
ZIP
TANG 'COLD COMING' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Chicago, USA comes ZIP TANG, a band
formed around Fred Faller - drums, Andrew Bunk - bass and Perry Merritt -
vocals, guitar, synthesizers. On their 6th album Cold coming they are bringing
us a nice Progrocksound that is melodic, modern and a bit groovy, sounding like
a cross between RUSH, JELLYFISH, ENCHANT, NEAL MORSE and KING'S X. The 10
included songs are well-constucted, finding a right balance between melodic
accesible vocals/choruses and instrumental progrock complexity, just like the
aforementioned bands. You can clearly hear that this band has been around for a
while, because Cold coming sounds like a very professional record, with a lot
of highlights, although the best ones are Sorry, Runaway, the superb epic 8
minutes counting titletrack Cold coming and the calmer melodic Moonwatcher.
Without a doubt, ZIP TANG is a recommended band to the proggies out there! More
info at: www.ziptang.net and https://ziptang.bandcamp.com/album/cold-coming
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
WOBBLER 'DWELLERS
OF THE DEEP' (KARISMA RECORDS/PLASTIC HEAD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
The progressive
rockband WOBBLER comes out of Oslo,
Norway and was formed back in 1999. They have released 4 albums so far and so
their new album Dwellers of the deep marks their 5th release.
The band’s line up consists of Lars Fredrik Frøislie - keyboards, backing
vocals, Kristian Karl Hultgren - bass, bass clarinet, bass recorder, Martin
Nordrum Kneppen - drums, percussion, recorder, Andreas Wettergreen Strømman
Prestmo - vocals, guitar, glockenspiel, percussion and Geir Marius Bergom
Halleland - lead guitar, backing vocals. We can find 4 long songs here and
musically speaking it is high quality 70s progrock, calmer with a focus on
melodies/vocals, kinda YES ish and instrumental of a very high level, with many
tempo changes. Opener By the Banks is calmer, while there are uptempo rockier
parts during Five Rooms and the closing track Merry Macabre is an epic song.
The songs are very long as already mentioned, but in the world of prog that is
quite normal and WOBBLER fulfill the needs of the progfan, because both
songwise, vocally and instrumentally speaking everything sounds crystal clear!
This is very impressive material and for YES fans a must-have! More info at: https://wobbler.bandcamp.com/album/dwellers-of-the-deep
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
CNJR 'I
CAN SEE THE CHURCH BURNING THROUGH THE BINOCULARS' (FUTURE ARCHIVE
RECORDINGS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
The background info on
this mostly instrumental release learns that we are dealing here with an one
man’s project, because CNJR is an experimental music producer, who does
everything on his own. His latest release is titled I can see the church
burning through the binoculars. The music of CNJR is described in his bio as a
mix of retro synthesizers, dark cinematic science fiction themes, post-rock,
electronic music, IDM, synthwave, darkwave, downtempo, instrumental hip-hop,
indie electronic, witch house, and various other influences. Personally I would
say that the 8 songs on this album are a nice combination of prog, synthwave
and electronic music. The funny thing about this album is that it will not only
appeal to out-of-the-box thinkers in the progworld, but also synthwave fans and
as already mentioned, the electronic music lovers might find something of
interest here. A song like The destroyers is instrumental prog, sounding quite
calm and relaxing, while Burning and Putrid things are semi-instrumental songs
with a sorta electronic way of singing and a sound dictated by modern
technology, yet with an old soul somehow! Pain my face with ashes is almost
pure synthwave, but also close to the prog border here and there; basically
being a nice calm dark hypnotical sorta Blade runner ish song. Some of the
other songs, especially the uptempo Tunnels, they seem to take it even more
into this dark sci-fi movie synthwave direction, which is quite cool actually.
Check for yourself at: https://cnjrmusic.bandcamp.com/album/i-can-see-the-church-burning-through-the-binoculars
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
CENTRE
EL MUUSA 'CENTRE EL MUUSA' (SULATRON RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
Unexpectedly we have
here an instrumental band from Tallinn, Estland with a fantastic debut album on
the German label SULATRON RECORDS. The same titled first album is a very
interesting record that is in general an instrumental 1970s inspired
Kraut/Space/Prog affair with also some Fuzz/Doom influences here and there.
Formed in 2015 by multi-instrumentalist Misha Panfilov, CENTRE EL MUUSA became
a duo when Wurlitzer Elektro-Pianisten Volodja Brodsky joined Misha and later
on it evolved into a real band with Monika Erdman (Bass) and Aleksei Semenihhin
(Drums). 6 songs are on the album, some being quite lengthy, especially the
lovely opener Turkeyfish, which is uptempo heavier stoner rock with spacerock
parts a la HAWKWIND. Basically it sounds very much like the classic
experimental 1970s, with a fantastic prog part halfway the song. Next track
Glitter bo is slightly more noisy and complexer and actually this song is quite
experimental with a more Krautrock approach like CAN meets SWANS craziness and
towards the end of the song it gets really out of control (loving it!!!). This
is as underground dark and complex sounding as possible and also really heavy...
Ain't got enough mojo is uptempo proggy krautrock and this is a really great
shorter tune, while Burning Lawa is a slowtempo almost doomy BLACK SABBATH ish song.
Mia is calmer and progrock based, while closing track Szolnok is again going
for the noisy and experimental Krautrocksound. Concluded, this is a recommended
instrumental album, which is of a very high level and fits somewhere between
ELP, CAN, BLACK SABBATH and HAWKWIND. Check for yourself at: https://centreelmuusa.bandcamp.com/album/centre-el-muusa
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
FRAGILE
'GOLDEN FRAGMENTS' (FORCE TEN PRODUCTIONS/GERMAN IMPORT)
There are a number of
bands out there called FRAGILE, but this one started as a YES tribute band, but
eventually this British/German FRAGILE began to compose original compositions
in the classic YES style. Not entirely a YES copy thankfully, because FRAGILE
has it's own identity for sure and besides YES similarities, the band's sound
is also comparable to RENAISSANCE and GLASS HAMMER, partly due to the female
vocals. The band consists of Claire Hamill (Vocals), Oliver Day (Guitars), Russ
Wilson (Drums/Percussion) and Max Hunt (Vocals, Keyboards, Bass, Guitar,
Percussion), and together they created a strong official debut album as FRAGILE.
When listening to opener When are wars won? Surely all I need, we can hear a
perfect relaxing 70s progrocksound like YES and CAMEL, with lovely keyboardwork
and beautiful melodies sung by Claire. Other interesting songs are Five senses
(with sort of middle eastern influences), Time to dream/Now we are sunlight (great
proggy tune) and closing track Old words and kingdoms/Too late in the day (11
minutes counting Canterbury/Prog epic tune a la RENAISSANCE and also KAYAK,
baiscally a very strong song with beautiful melodies and keys/guitars).
Concluded, we have a great album, which is very much based around instrumental
passages as well as beautiful melodies sung by the female singer. Although YES
is obviously the main influence, FRAGILE has created an own sound that just
happens to be classic 70s calmer melodic progrock. Check for yourself at:
https://fragileyestribute.bandcamp.com/releases
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
BAYLEY
& HUNT 'WHISPERS' (FORCE TEN PRODUCTIONS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The British act BAYLEY
& HUNT consists of Clive Bayley (Vocals / Acoustic & Electric Guitars /
Bass), Max Hunt (Keyboards / Acoustic & Electric Guitars / Bass / Backing
Vocals / Accordion / Drums / Percussion / Rhythm Loops / Samples) and Jürgen
Link (Drums), and they were formed back in 2015. Clive was one of the original
founders of pre-YES band MABEL GREER'S TOYSHOP way back in the 1960s and
actually co-wrote a few songs that ended on the first YES album in 1969. Decades
later Max joined YES tribute band FRAGILE and besides playing original material
for many years, he and FRAGILE released recently an album filled with own
compostions. Anyway, now as a duo, both musicians recorded a very nice calmer
song orientated progrockalbum titled Whispers. Although not bad at all, there's
something about the computerized vocals that bother me a bit. A song like Without You / In The Name Of My King /
Sailing To The Moon is a great 10 minutes counting pure progrock adventure and
more songs like this on a future album would be interesting to see. It's best
to check out this album for yourself at: https://bayleyhunt.bandcamp.com/album/whispers
(Points:
7.4 out of 10)
GOLDMUND
'THE TIME IT TAKES' (WESTERN VINYL/KONKURRENT)
Out of Pennsylvania,
USA comes KEITH KENNIFF, who creates beautiful minimal, piano-centred ambient
music and releases albums under the moniker GOLDMUND. Despite the use of only
his piano, it is a very interesting emotional album that feels like background
music to a dramatic Scandinavian arthouse movies. This is one of those records
you can put on a peaceful late evening and just listen to and dream away. There
are no real comparisons possible here, although calling it background music to
TWIN PEAKS could be a nice match to mention here. Just go and listen for
yourself to this beautiful album and you can check out at: https://goldmund.bandcamp.com/album/the-time-it-takes
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
THE
MOUNTAIN GOATS 'GETTING INTO KNIVES' (MERGE RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
The American band THE
MOUNTAIN GOATS was formed in 1991 by singer/songwriter JOHN DANIELLE in
California, but meanwhile the band is settled in Durham, North Carolina.
Through the nearly 30 years of activity, the band managed to release 18 albums!
Getting into knives is their 19th album and msucially speaking we are heading
into typical American Indie-Folkrock that sounds like a cross between WILCO,
CALEXICO, NEIL YOUNG, R.E.M., VAN MORRISON and TOWNES VAN ZANDT. On the other
hand the band has created an own sound, so I think the real fans of the band
will know more or less what they can expect on this new album. It's quite
melodic and positive sounding, with as highlights between the 13 included songs
the uptempo pieces Picture of my dress, As many candles as possible and Rat
queen. Check them out at: https://www.mountain-goats.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
OTEME
'UN SALUTO ALLE NUVOLE' (MARACASH RECORDS/ITALY IMPORT)
Out of Italy comes the
band OTEME, whom deliver a wonderful album titled Un saluto alle nuvole. The
band consists of Irene Benedetti flute, piccolo, voice, Elia Bianucci clarinets,
Stefano Giannotti voices, guitar,
electric guitar, banjo, objects, Emanuela Lari keyboards, voice, Vittorio Win
Fioramonti double bass, bass, harmonica,
voice, Antonio Caggiano vibraphone, percussion and Riccardo Ienna drums, percussion.
There is a mixture of male and female vocals, while the music is a mixture of
different styles and in-between there are certain speaking parts, so this could
well be labelled as a concept-album. The best songs are the 12 minutes counting
epic Turni (a male/female duet which is very proggy and rockier than most of
the other calmer tunes, also features a beautiful guitarsolo and is quite PINK
FLOYD ish) and the 2nd longest song on the album, which is the 8 minutes
counting Per I giorni a venire (built around a cool drumsolo and some jazzy
arrangements, but this is also a pretty good midtempo melodic calmer progrock
tune). The rest of the album is a little less pure progrock orientated, but
nevertheless interesting, because it combines prog, jazz, Italian folk, spoken
word and OTEME also uses all kinds of instruments, so it is very diverse in the
end! Check for yourself at: http://oteme.com/en
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
CARYS 'VARIOUS
ALBUMS' (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN IMPORT)
Suffolk based Singer/songwriter
CARYS and electronic music pioneer DAVID WRIGHT are 2 established musicians
whom both together and seperately have released a number of records. DAVID
WRIGHT & CARYS's album Prophecy is a really great Synthwave/Kraut/Synthesizer
based New Age/Symphonic 1970s trip (ALAN PARSONS PROJECT meets TANGERINE DREAM)
and I must say it is very impressive, especially during synthesizer driven
songs like Ocean to stars and Beyond the veil it sounds really interesting.
CARYS also recorded an album together with ROSEMARY GRIFFITH as the duo
CELANDINE. Their album She's like the swallow is an acoustic melodic folk
adventure with only an acoustic guitar, lead- and harmonyvocals, so you might
call this beautiful campfire music, which is nice and melodic, quite calm with
a medieaval approach. Solo CARYS has released 2 full-length albums the pastfew
years, which are A different kind of normal (nothing to do with covid) and the
2020 album Wolfsong. Both albums are once again showing a different side of
CARYS, because here we have a sorta singer/songwriter Celtic sound that sounds
very much like we're in Ireland or Scotland. Carys has a perfect voice for this
kind of music and it's pleasant to listen to her albums, although personally I
am mostly interested in the music she did with David, because that is high
class synth driven 80s wave/kraut/new age in the best TANGERINE DREAM, KLAUS
SCHULZE style. More info on anything related to Carys' music at: http://carysmusic.com/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
MOLCHAT
DOMA 'MONUMENT' (SACRED BONES RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
Now here we have something completely
different, because MOLCHAT DOMA is a band from Belarus and their album Monument
starts with a song that could easily have been recorded in 1983. Utonut has a
pure Synthpop sound that sounds close to the legendary hits from bands like
YAZOO, OMD, HUMAN LEAGUE, HEAVEN 17, VISAGE, SOFT CELL, etc. The keyboards/synths
sound really retro and vocally it sounds quite good too actually, despite the
Russian lyrics/vocals. MOLCHAT DOMA was formed in 2017 and Monument is their
3rd album. It will be released in November and I think I am safe to say that
this could become a surprising hit in the music scene, because they combine that
pure 80s Synthpopsound with dark Russian vocals and that's something you don't
hear everyday. They make the 80s sound cool again, just like for example THE
EDITORS or DONNY BENET have been doing in the recent past. The band consists of
Roman Komogortsev on guitar, lead synth and drum machine, Pavel Kozlov on bass
and synth, and Egor Shkutko on vocals. Back to their album, next song Obrechen
sounds a little bit darker and touches classic Post-Punk-Wave of the JOY
DIVISION kind, but with Discoteque it is as close to early 1980s Synthpop as
possible, with memories of the legendary GEORGIO MORODER meets YELLO. Ne
smeshno is a darker midtempo 80s Synth/Dark Wave ish song with an ending that
even reminds me a bit of THE CURE. Otveta net is even closer to 80s uptempo
Gothic Rock, which is due to the dark depressing vocals that remind a lot of
IAN CURTIS of JOY DIVISION, but also JIM MORRISON of THE DOORS and the
guitarsound is close to classic THE CURE. Basically with this song NOLCHAT DOMA
is showing their diversity, although the whole album is in the 1980s spirit of
New Wave, Synthpop, Postpunk or Gothic. Zvezdy follows the same sorta direction
(with also ULTRAVOX similarities and a cool bass rhythm), while next song
Udalil tvoy nomer features that melancholic synthesizer part from 1983 again,
which is pure Synthpop/New Wave a la OMD. Leningradskiy Blues is more of the
same Goth/Wave mixture, with another THE CURE ish guitar/bass approach and closing
track Lubit Vypolnyat is again a bit darker and close to classic JOY DIVISION. Fans
of the classic 80s British Wave/Synth/Gothic/Post-Punksounds of the
afforementioned bands should check out this impressive 3rd album of MOLCHAT
DOMA despite the fact they are a band from Belarus and not just another British
band. For me personally that alone would make me more interested to check out
this album! Hopefully after covid-19, the band will be able to perform live
again! More info at: https://domamolchat.bandcamp.com/album/monument
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
YARGOS 'THE
DANCING MERMAID' (STF RECORDS/GERMAN IMPORT)
The legendary German
Prog/Power metal band YARGOS released a couple albums in the past and are known
especially for the fact that vocalist ANDREW "MAC" DERMOND of
THRESHOLD/SARGANT FURY fronted the band. Sadly Mac left us and so it took many
years for the band to overcome this tragic event, but now YARGOS returns with a
new CD titled The dancing mermaid. The line-up has changed a lot of course,
with now a female singer upfront (BECKY GABER), who not only sings, but also
screams/growls, sorta like ARCH ENEMY. The music is very melodic, with
sometimes aggressive parts (like AMARANTHE also does, with the cookiemonster
vocals of Becky), but during most of the songs and especially during the
choruses it is quite excellent NIGHTWISH/KAMELOT ish uptempo Melodic Symphonic
Power Metal with strong clean vocals of Becky. There's also some sort of LORD
OF THE RINGS/RHAPSODY influences here and there, so I think the fans now know
what to expect here. The sound is massive and the best songs are You won't get
far, Mine complete, Two girls (Don't come knocking) and the 8 minutes counting
If I only could turn back time, all featuring a very catchy melodic chorus and
a must-hear for fans of NIGHTWISH/KAMELOT/EPICA and such. The most striking
fact of this band is that they were already formed way back in 1973 by WIELAND
HOFMEISTER (keys, guitar, programmer, producer), who is still on board, but is
now joined by KAI REUTER (guitar, keys, drums, programmer, ex-FAIR WARNING,
VITESSE, etc) and several guests whom played in bands like ELOY, EPITAPH,
SINNER, RUNNING WILD, HUMAN FORTRESS, HYDROTOXIN and many more. However,
despite all the line-up and musical changes throughout their almost 50 years of
activity, YARGOS is now delivering a great new album that will find it's way to
fans of the afforementioned bands! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/yargosband/
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
SMOKEY
BRIGHTS 'I LOVE YOU BUT DAMN VINYL RECORD' (FREAK!UT RECORDS/FRANCE IMPORT)
What do you do if you
have 2 great lead singers in your band? Well, then you let them both sing and
in this case both of them also play instruments and are in real life husband
and wife! SMOKEY BRIGHTS has it all and even much more to offer on their 3rd album
I love you but damn, which was sent to me on beautiful vinyl. The band is
coming out of Seattle, Washington, USA and are fronted by husband and wife duo
Kim West (keys and vocals) and Ryan Devlin (guitar and vocals) who share the
vocal duties. Completing the band are Nick Krivchenia (drums) and Luke Logan
(bass), and the 4 of them created a strong melodic rocking album that was
produced by Andy Park (DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE, MAC MILLER, etc.) . It is a diverse
record with a huge sound and without a doubt, SMOKEY BRIGHTS have delivered a
superb album that should appeal to a lot of people out there. 10 songs are
included in total and opener Save us Sarah grabs the attention rightaway,
because this is an excellent catchy uptempo rocker with a nostalgic 70s/80s
kinda American Heartland rock touch, although it also reveals modern rock and
Indie influences, so perhaps imagine a mix between classic BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN,
38 SPECIAL, THE KILLERS and THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM, with also some cool keys added
and strong vocals by male singer Ryan. The female vocalist Kim takes over on
the next song 72, which also is musically slightly different, as it is digging
deeper into the classic early 80s midtempo melodic poprocksound of acts like
QUARTERFLASH, THE MODELS and such, with a very catchy groovy funky beat that
also reminds me a bit of DONNY BENET. Next track Cruel also features Kim on
vocals and now we're heading into pure classic early 80s female fronted
AOR/Poprock that is dangerously close to early 80s PAT BENATAR, DRAMA, THE
BREAKS, LISA HARTMAN, TANE CAIN, etc. etc. If you put on this song with it's
soaring guitar solo and lush melodies, and then also look at the frontcover and band picture
inside the gatefold vinyl album, it's like we're really back in 1983! However,
SMOKEY BRIGHTS are really a new band with 4 young musicians playing music that
was popular when their parents were probably just born! Anyway, the album
continues with the lightweight pop/rocker I love you but damn that reminds me a
bit of BRYAN ADAMS. Side-A closes with January 15, a fantastic modern groovy
soulful pop/rocker with a catchy rhythmic beat and overall this song reminds me
a bit of the Dutch band DE WOLFF, who made a similar sounding record earlier in
2020, although I even hear similarities to the might BLACK PUMAS here. This
song could easily become a huge radio hit, because Ryan sings just perfectly on
it.
Side-B opens with
Since '85, a strong midtempo rocker with a modern approach and some great
vocalwork by Ryan again. Kim sings on the following I won't lie 4 U that is a
sorta 1970s ish melodic pop/rocker with somehow memories of STEELY DAN, yet
vocally reminding a bit of GRACE SLICK. Dance
until we die also features Kim on vocals and this song has a radio-ready
polished modern poprocksound that should gain them a guaranteed hit and could
make KIM WILDE and BLONDIE very jealous for not creating in their career! Hey
California continues with Kim on vocals once again, and this is a more
laid-back pop/rock tune with a smooth melody that has a slight classic
Westcoast/Californian breeze feeling. Closing the album is Shelter me, a calmer
semi-ballad with a surprising classic R&B/Soul approach, reminding me a bit
of LEON BRIDGES and CURTIS HARDING.
Concluded, this is a
highly recommended album to anyone who is keen on melodies which are in this
case sung by both a male and a female singer, so it offers a lot of diversity,
also musically speaking, but a mix of classic melodic American Pop/Rock, modern
age Rock and a bit of Soul is probably a good description to follow. Check them
out for yourself at: https://www.smokeybrights.com/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
MEAN
STREAK 'EYE OF THE STORM' (EL PUERTO RECORDS/SOULFOOD/GERMAN IMPORT)
Eye of the storm is the 5th album of the
Swedish band MEAN STREAK, whom are clearly creating a Metalsound of the 1980s,
with thankfully the massive production/sound of today. The band's line up
consists of Andy La Guerin (vocals, guitar), Julian Eriksson (lead guitar),
Peter Andersson (bass) and Fredrik Skold (drums) and after the blazing uptempo
Melodic Metal opener Last nail in the coffin, which sounds like PRIMAL FEAR
meets JUDAS PRIEST, the band has no mercy and shows we are dealing with a real
Metal band! Things slow down a bit to a midtempo Melodic Heavy Rock format on
the excellent catchy From cradle to grave, which has a really strong memorable
chorus. SINNER and PRIMAL FEAR Teutonic Melodic Metal is however mostly the
name of the game here and MEAN STREAK do this really well. It's the combination
of fits in the air, gang-vocal choruses to sing-a-long to, a high pitched
screaming singer and a big massive guitarsound like usually only German bands
are doing (just listen the ACCEPT 'Balls to the wall' ish sounding Break the
limit), but as already mentioned, MEAN STREAK are Swedish. Anyway, other
highlights on the album are the faster Sacred ground (Power Metal upper league,
with catchy chorus), the midtempo 1000 years (ACCEPT meets SINNER) and the
lovely catchy faster uptempo titletrack Eye of the storm (NOISEHUNTER meets 220
VOLT ish Power Metal, best song on the album, including a superstrong chorus). MEAN
STREAK are definitely a recommended band to check out if you're a fan of the
afforementioned bands, then please go to: https://www.facebook.com/meanstreakse
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
SENS
DEP 'LUSH DESOLATION' (INDEPENDENT/CREATIVE ECLIPSE/GERMAN IMPORT)
SENS DEP comes out
Australia, was formed way back in 2009, but Lush desolation is their very first
album. The band consists of Andrew Yardley (guitar/ bass/ vox/ production), Ben
Yardley (guitars/ field recordings/ production) and Caz Gannell (electric and
acoustic cello/ general noise). The included music is quite extreme Noise,
with a sound that also recalls the days of CAN and SWANS. It is very
experimental and industrial sounding, quite an instrumental journey to
distorted sounds and noises, so it might be hard for some people to understand
what SENS DEP is trying to achieve on their debut album. However, if you're
interested in something completely different and going against all genres, then
you should check out the SENS DEP album and it's 11 songs, because when
listening to songs like The gate and the titletrack Lush desolation it's like
we're heading into a different space and time, as it all sounds very bizarre
and extreme. Here and there we can find some songs that are more accessible,
such as the Shoegaze ish Nebuvital, which also features lush vocals, but
overall this is something that might be interesting for fans of bands like CAN,
SWANS and such. More info at: https://sensdepsound.bandcamp.com/track/lush-desolation-2
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
GONG
WAH 'GONG WAH' (TONZONEN RECORDS/SOULFOOD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE/GERMAN IMPORT)
Formed by singer Inga
Nelke and guitarists Thorsten Dohle and Felix Will in the beginning of 2018, the German
band GONG WAH worked hard on their official same titled debut album, which is
now available. The first couple of songs show their love for loud, angry fast
punky garage rock (Let's get lost and I hate you), but they also have a more
melodic melancholic side, which can be heard during the lovely calmer songs
Supersized kid and With him, both influenced by Shoegaze, Dreampop and
Psychedelic Rock like DUM DUM GIRLS. Need to add here that especially With him
ends with a heavy psychedelic noisy rock part, which makes this song quite an
enjoyable long epic tune. The vocalwork is strong and the overall sound of the
band is very international orientated, so GONG WAH is without a doubt a
recommended German band to check out. Other highlights are Sugar & Lies
(the most accessible track on the album, because this is a fantastic catchy 70s
orientated uptempo rocker with an almost Glamrock ish approach like a mix
between T-REX, JOAN JETT/THE RUNAWAYS and STATUS QUO), the melodic pop/rocker
Not this time and the haunting epic Contaminated concrete (a strong melancholic
song with quite superb vocals). All together an interesting and very diverse
record after a somewhat raw garage punkrockstart, because this band has a lot
more to offer and therefore you should go check them out for more info at: https://gongwah.bandcamp.com/music
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
YOBREPUS
'MYCELIUM DAYS' (APOLLON RECORDS/CREATIVE ECLIPSE/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Oslo, Norway comes YOBREPUS, a band
formed around Mats Jørgen Sivertsen – vocals, keys, guitars, loops, Vegard
Weyergang Vartdal – bass, backing vocals, Paal Urdal – drums and Leon Muraglia
– guitars. Together the 4 musicians create a sound that is typical Norwegian,
because it is a mix of Progrock, Krautrock, Indie and Electronic Pop/Rock,
combining the best of all these genres on their 2nd album Mycelium days. It
starts with a 22 minutes counting epic piece that shows the band's love for the
aforementioned genres, although the song is for most of us a calmer Progressive
Rocksong in the PORCUPINE TREE style, but it definitely reveals also other
influences and sounds quite dark actually. Other highlights are the calmer FISH
ish What if.... and the fantastic Wangari. If you're open-minded progfan, then
you should check out this band at: https://yobrepus.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
WE
STOOD LIKE KINGS 'CLASSICAL RE:WORKS' (KAPITAN PLATTE/CARGO RECORDS/CREATIVE
ECLIPSE/GERMAN IMPORT)
WE STOOD LIKE KINGS is
a Belgian band playing classical music in a progressive rock format, sorta like
PORCUPINE TREE meets BACH/BEETHOVEN. The result is their album Classical
re:works, which is as the title predicts a collection of 7 classical music
pieces that have been reworked by the band and now sound like instrumental progrock
versions, although the closing cover of the Johan Sebastian Bach classic Organ
sonata no.4 in E minor is done in a more pure classical music version. They did
a pretty good job here, as the full album feels like a lovely instrumental
progrock adventure. More info at: https://wslk.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
USTAD
SAAMI 'PAKISTAN IS FOR THE PEACEFUL' (GLITTERBEAT RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
USTAD SAAMI comes out of Pakistan and he
is the last living Surti master, a precursor of the ancient, Islamic devotional
music of qawwali. Pakistan is for the peaceful is his 2nd album, and it was recorded
live at the master’s rooftop home in Karachi, Pakistan in 2018, while it was
mixed by David Odlum in Dublin, Ireland. Ustad is joined by his four sons; Rauf
(group leader, harmonium, vocals), Urooj (primary response vocalist, tambura
number one), Ahmed (tambura number two, vocals) and Azeem (tablas, vocals). The
result is an original and inspiring album that breathes the Islamic culture in
it's pure essence. It's not a standard album at all, because therefore the
sound and singing of Ustad is something extraordinary, but for the World Music
among us, this album is definitely recommended, as Ustad takes you on a trip to
his homeland of Pakistan and the Islamic culture. 3 songs are included, of
which 2 are around the 20 minutes mark, so the total playing length is still
about 46 minutes. If you're starting to become interested, then please go check
for yourself at: https://ustadsaami.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
7.5 out of 10)
LIRAZ 'ZAN'
(GLITTERBEAT RECORDS/XANGO MUSIC)
Now here we have a
very interesting album out of the Middle East, because LIRAZ CHARHI is an
Iranian singer and actress who is settled in Tel Aviv, Israel. Due to the
political situation between Iran and Israel, she is not able to settle in Iran
and because her TV/Movie career takes place in Israel, she needs to stay there.
Zan is her 2nd album and it tells her story about staying positive as a woman
in the Middle East. The material is written and sung by Liraz entirely in
Persian, while it's produced and co-written by Uri Brauner from Boom Pam band
and features an anonomous Tehran based female percussionist (recorded secretly
and sent online to Liraz) as well as various musicians from Liraz's band, based
in Tel Aviv. The result is one of the better Psychedelic/Electronic Middle-Eastern
Pop/Rockalbums of 2020, easily up there with TINARIWEN, TAMIKREST, ALTIN GUN
and TOOTARD. Liraz has a pleasant voice and she can sing exceptionally well,
although of course the Persian language in which she sings is hard to follow.
10 songs are included and the absolute highlight is Injah, which is a lovely
midtempo song that combines classic 70s psychedelica/Middle-Eastern rock guitar
with the modern Western electric pop/rocksound, while there are also some 80s
synths here and there, and above all, it has a catchy memorable chorus. In this
same style we can hear later on the excellent songs Mastam and Bia Bia, and all
of them could easily become huge hits, because they sound very catchy! If we
have a look at some of the other songs, Dolate Eshg is a pure classic Israelic meets
Middle-Eastern sounding song, Joon joon is reminding me a lot of ALTIN GUN due
to it's synth sound and swinging Middle Eastern beat, and Shab Gerye is a
beautiful semi-ballad where you can really feel Liraz' emotional singing. This
album caught me by surprise, because it combines pieces of various music styles
from the past with the traditional World Music, but the open-minded
prog/psychedelic fans might also like this I think! You can listen for yourself
at: https://deadsearecordings.bandcamp.com/track/zan-bezan
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
TOO
SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS 'THE REMEDY' (VIZZTONE GROUP/USA IMPORT)
The American band TOO SLIM AND THE
TAILDRAGGERS was formed all the way back in 1986 and have meanwhile released a
lot of albums, of which six even charted in the US Billboard Charts, so they
are quite well-known in the USA. The 3-piece band is formed around Tim
"Too Slim" Langford/Lead
vocals, guitar, Zach Kasik/Bass, vocals
and Jeffrey "Shakey" Fowlkes/Drums,
and their new album is quite impressive and secretly one of the finest
Blues/Classic Rockalbums of 2020! Opener Last last chance is a cool raw uptempo
rootsy Rock and Roll song like ZZ TOP meets ROLLING STONES, while following
track She's got the remedy is a fantastic slower more heavier blues rock
orientated, with even some similarities to THE BLACK KEYS crossed with JOE
BONAMASSA's guitarwork. Basically the album continues in this mixture of
classic rock and roll and modern heavy blues rock, and I have to say it is of
an incredible high level. Other highlights are Reckless, Sure shot, Snake eyes
and the beautiful melodic slightly westcoast/aor ish closing track Half a world
away. Without a doubt, this is a sensational album by this well-established act
around bandleader TOO SLIM and let's hope they will be able to come over to
Europe once corona is gone. Meanwhile, check out this superb new album and more
info at: https://www.tooslim.net
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
OZFERTI
'SOLARIUS GAMMA' (NUBIANOVA RECORDS/VEEVCOM/FRANCE IMPORT)
OZFERTI is a character
created by the French beatmaker / musician / illustrator FLORIAN DOUCET and
their album Solarius gamma is inspired by East-African music and it was partly produced and recorded in Addis Abeba,
Ethiopia. The 11 tracks on this record are a mixture of traditional World Music
and a lot of modern Hip-Hop ish beats. The music is most of the time instrumental
and sometimes entirely based around Beats. It starts with a strong World Music
kinda instrumental groovy and rhythmic song titled Abyssinium express, but the
Beats take over during the following Hagir fixir. Other interesting songs are
Space gurage (swinging), Selam, Solarius gamma, Ta na da and Purple sand. Done
very well, I hope next time a real drummer will be used to get an authentic
sound, because now sometimes the Beats/Drums that are programmed are taking
over a bit too much. On the other hand, my deepest respect for this
multi-instrumentalist OZFERTI who does almost everything on his own! Check for
yourself at: https://nubianovarecords.bandcamp.com/album/solarius-gamma
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
JUSSI
LEHTONEN QUARTET 'CONNECTION' (ECLIPSE MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
Out of Finland comes the JUSSI LEHTONEN
QUARTET and their studio debut album is titled Connection. They did release a
live album a few years ago, but with Connection they are releasing their first
studio album. The quartet around drummer Jussi Lehtonen is completed by pianist
Holger Marjamaa, contrabassist Heikko Remmel and saxophonist Joonatan Rautio. 8
songs are included in total and it all starts very agressive with the classic
complex jazz of Moonshine, a lengthy tune that immediately grabs your attention
and show a tight band delivering the goods. The rest of the album offers most
of the time somewhat calmer jazz that is also quite melodic, such as the beautiful
Timeout, The last Waltz, Song for hope and also very interesting is On beat
that celebrates Jussi's excellent drumming. Modern Jazzfans will absolutely
love this record, so go check out more at: https://eclipsemusicrecordlabel.bandcamp.com/album/connection
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
RODRIGO
COSTA FELIX 'TEMPO' (SPAUTORES/XANGO MUSIC)
Flirting with pop
melodies is basically what this Portuguese Fado musician RODRIGO COSTA FELIX is
doing on his new album Tempo. He has a great voice for this kind of music and I
am safe to say that in Portugal this kinda Fado music is absolutely adored and
when it is done as well on this record Tempo, there will be a massive crowd
following him. A song like the superb catchy Lisboa e assim is deserves to
become a worldwide summer hit, with it's traditional classic sound. The pop
music influences I mentioned is due to the fact that Rodrigo brings the Fado
music to a wider audience on this album, just by singing it in a very clean way
(sometimes even reminding me of HERMAN VAN VEEN somehow!) and letting the
melodies flow throughout each and every song. Although this music is hardly
played or promoted over here, it is a pity Rodrigo's new album will therefore
probably not be heard by a lot of people, because a lot of the songs are very
pleasant to hear. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/rodrigocostafelixoficial/about/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
HUMAN
CELL SIGNALS 'SIGNALING PATHWAYS' (ECLIPSE MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
There
is not much info on the Finnish duo HUMAN CELL SIGNALS, but they consist of
HARRI TOPI (electric cello) and Noora Laiho (electric kantele), and Signaling
pathways is their debut album. The included music is quite original and very
interesting actually, because they have a rich instrumental sound that sits
somewhere between progrock, new age, krautrock, classical music and
jazz/fusion. A mixture between TANGERINE DREAM, MIKE OLDFIELD and a lighter
version of APOCALYPTICA could be a nice description, but HUMAN CELL SIGNALS
have an own identity. The included material is very impressive, with calmer
pieces (Let there be light, Wonder and the beautiful Solitude) and somewhat
heavier moments (Kick and the awesome Stay strong), there's something to enjoy
for each and everyone of us. The band takes you on their atmospheric adventure
that feels like you're in the woods of Finland somewhere, quite haunting and
exciting at the same time. It could also be used as movie background music and
it is all done very well. Check for yourself at: https://eclipsemusicrecordlabel.bandcamp.com/album/signaling-pathways
and https://www.humancellsignals.com/Human_Cell_Signals/Duo.html
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
FITO
LURI 'DIARI DE LLAMBORDES' (KASBA MUSIC/XANGO MUSIC)
Now this is a really
nice album, starting off with 3 very catchy uptempo melodic poprockers with 80s
kinda melodies, although it's also sounding ready for today's modern popworld.
It concerns here the album Diari de Llambordes from the Spanish
singer/songwriter FITO LURI and especially those first 3 songs (Dosi, Pena i
regust and Tempus fugit) are very catchy uptempo poprockers that remind a bit
of the Spanish version of RICHARD MARX. The following songs are a bit calmer,
but nevertheless quite good, with Fito's great melodic clean singing. Despite
the Spanish lyrics, which will be hard to follow for some, the music sounds
very summerfriendly and pleasant to the ears. There's also a touch of COLDPLAY
during a midtempo song like Trampa mortal, so imagine a mix of modern pop and
80s melodic poprock, then you have FITO LURI. If there's anyone who can
remember the Italian band ORO, well, this is in the exact same style, with
uptempo poprockers, midtempo popsongs and ballads, only difference is the
Spanish language instead of the Italian language. Nice little record that you
can easily listen to when you want to hear some smooth calmer melodic music in
a traditional Mediterrean style. More info at:
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
THE
AWKWARD SILENCES 'THE AWKWARD SILENCES' (BLANG RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
IGGY POP and typical
British Music influences are very clear on this Post-Punkalbum by the British
band THE AWKWARD SILENCES. Although it is a same titled album, this is actually
their 4th release. The album was produced by JON CLAYTON (THE MONOCHROME SET,
SUBWAY SECT) and contains 10 songs that lyrically are clearly telling stories
and/or are dealing with political issues. The vocals are not so strong I'm
afraid, while the music is quite typical British Post-Punk. The album brings us
10 rockers with memories of THE FLAMING LIPS, IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS,
TALKING HEAD, IGGY POP and such, although THE AWKWARD SILENCES reveals an own
style here and there. The songtitles are typical English (kinda like THE ARCTIC
MONKEYS), with as best ones There's nothing more obnoxious than a self-made
man, Everybody loves organised fun and The medical model. Not bad at all, so go
check them out at: http://theawkwardsilences.com/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
VARIOUS
ARTISTS 'SCRATCHCARD (BLANG 2016-2020)' (BLANG RECORDS/UK IMPORT)
The London based label
BLANG RECORDS has been around for a while now and this compilation records
gives a nice overview of the past 5 years, with in total 15 songs. It's definitely
a good and practical way to discover 15 different bands that are signed to this
interesting label. The music is also quite diverse, because it might start with
a sorta THE SHADOWS ish Surfrocksound by DAVID CRONENBERG'S WIFE, but their
song Suli's house changes here and there when there is some spoken word
upfront. Next band SERGEANT BUZFUZ is typical British Post-Punk, while the
strong melodic calmer SLATE ISLANDS has a certain Celtic/Folk sound reminding
me a bit of FAIRPORT CONVENTION. SLATE ISLANDS is a very interesting female
fronted band and hopefully I am able to hear and review more of them soon. BRIX
& THE EXTRICATED is a superb female fronted band and their catchy 1970s
Punk/Rocker Something to lose is dangerously close to THE RUNAWAYS, so hopefully
I will be able to hear and review of this exciting band soon. They have a long
history and there is a connection with the legendary band THE FALL, so quite
interesting for sure! Up next is SETH FAERGOLZIA, who is taking things to a
very modern popsound with his computerized music, so less interesting for the
rockers among us. JACK MEDLEY's SECURE MEN are then again rocking quite well on
their song Taking care of business, which is a nice mixture of typical British
Post-Punk with an almost T-REX ish 1970s Glamrock chorus. THE REVERSE is
another typical British sounding band, but this time a bit more 80s
Alternative/Britpop orientated like BECK. One of the better sounding bands here
is the Garage/Punk/Powerpopband SHEEPY and their catchy uptempo piece Sheepy
that sounds like a perfect cross between classic THE KNACK, GENERATION X, THE
BOYS and THE ROMANTICS, so somewhere between late 70s Punkpop and early 80s
quirky Powerpop. Hopefully much more info on SHEEPY soon! TAV FALCO is then
again completely different with it's bluesy rock riff meets 70s TALKING HEADS
and HERMAN BROOD kinda Spoken Word Post-Punksound on their song Tramp. Up next
we have the band TRAILER CRASH, another typical late 70s/early 80s sounding
British band with a rather catchy quirky pop/rocksong that sounds quite
sensational, although it does reveal influences from classic 10CC and
especially GODLEY & CREME (An Englishman In New York), but nevermind,
because this is a great hit potential song! FAUX FIBBERS take things to a more ELVIS
COSTELLO kinda catchy Powerpop/rock direction and I have to admit they are
doing it really well. MILK KAN's My baby's gonna viral on the brain is a really
weird quirky mixture of Rap and depressing vocals of the Britpop generation.
EXTRADITION ORDER is changing the mood and sound 360 degrees to a nice catchy
1960s THE SUPREMES sound, with some ABBA harmonyvocals. STERLING ROSWELL is
slow dark, gritty, psychedelic rock of the late 1960s THE DOORS kind, with also
a Surf Rock guitar and I can imagine fans of 1960s Garage Rock will go crazy
when they hear this interesting band! And closing band is THE AWKWARD SILENCES,
of whom we reviewed their new album recently. Quite an interesting very diverse
compilation album that features a few very interesting bands, which I hopefully
can discuss further in detail soon. Meanwhile, check out this great label at: www.blangrecords.com
(Points: 8.3 out of 10)
DAILY
THOMPSON 'OUMUAMUA' (NOISOLUTION/SOULFOOD MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Dortmund comes
DAILY THOMPSON, a band formed in 2013 and named after a British athlete. The
band is a threesome formed around Vocalist/Guitarist Danny Zaremba,
Vocalist/Bassist Mercedes „Mephi“ Lalakakis and drummer Matthias Glass, who
recently replaced the band's previous drummer. Anyway, they are quite a great
band actually with an international sound and Oumuamua is their 4th album so
far. Although only 7 songs are included, of which the last one is an unplugged
tune, it's still a full-length record, because 2 songs are around the 11-12
minutes of playing length. Opener She's so cold is a mixture of all kinds of
styles actually, with also a shared female/male lead vocal and combining calmer
progressive rock in the beginning, developing into psychedelic rock meets
krautrock before ending in a heavier alternative meets stoner rock direction a
la SPIDERGAWD. Sad Frank is a very strong and quite excellent slowtempo song
that could be seen as THE BLACK KEYS ish heavier blues/stoner rock with an
almost 1970s BLACK SABBATH ish Doom Metal chorus. The song also shows that the
male vocals are better than the female vocals. Fuzzy Stoner Rock heaven can be
heard during the massive guitar riff sounding On my mind, which again has clear
70s BLACK SABBATH similarities, although the smell of early 90s Alternative
Rock (SOUNDGARDEN) is also present. Slow me down is the finest song on the
whole album, as this is an excellent midtempo modern heavy blues rocker with a
groove and vibe that is impossible to ignore and here the vocals also sound
superb. Half thompson is more or less following this direction, but is perhaps
a bit heavier and actually close to bands like BLACK STONE CHERRY and RIVAL
SONS, so this is definitely sensational heavy modern bluesy classic
hardrock/heavy rock. Cosmic cigar is a dark slow Alternative Stoner Rocksong
that even recalls memories of classic ALICE IN CHAINS, while the final song is
as already mentioned an unplugged version of their song River of a ghost.
Without a doubt, this is a highly recommended German band and you check them
out at: https://dailythompsonband.bandcamp.com/album/oumuamua
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
KASKADEUR
'UNCANNY VALLEY' (NOISOLUTION/SOULFOOD MUSIC/GERMAN IMPORT)
Out of Potsdam,
Germany comes KASKADEUR, a band which changed their name recently and they are
now making their debut on their new label NOISOLUTION. They used to be called
STONEHENGE, under which they released quite a lot of albums, EPs, cassettes,
etc. Now under this new name they want to start all over again and I have to
say that their album really impresses. The band's line up consists of Enrico
Semler (guitar / vocals), Johannes Walenta (organ / synths), Michael Paukner
(bass), Ole Fischer (drums), and they play a mixture of all kinds of styles
actually. Enrico has a great voice, although it seems that KASKADEUR are more
focused on instrumental material. I think the progrockfans will love this,
although they are not a pure progband at all actually. Opener Uncanny valley is
a strong complex tune that combines progrock, groovy hardrock, fuzzy stoner
rock and alternative rock like KING'S X meets PSYCHOTIC WALTZ meets ZAPPA if
you can imagine that, because actually KASKADEUR has an own identity. They
really like a groovy and proggy rhythm section (drums/bass), while the
guitarist and vocalist seem to be pure Hardrock/Metal minded. Interesting
mixture and in-between the short intro's/outro's and an instrumental tune here
and there such as the sensational 70s heavy progrock/stoner rock influenced
Flashback fatkids, there are some interesting songs with vocals, such as the
aforementioned titletrack and also the lovely 70s prog/spacerock driven Part of
your DNA. There is a lot to enjoy here, but if you're interested in a mix
between 70s progrock, fuzzy stoner rock and a touch of modern psychedelic
post/math-rock with still melodic catchy choruses here and there, then this
might be up your alley! They surprised me with this original album and I am
sure this will find it's way to people who appreciate quality music. More at: https://kaskadeur.bandcamp.com/album/uncanny-valley
(Points:
8.4 out of 10)
THE PH
PROJECT 'SLOW BURN' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Guitarist PAUL
KAMINSKI comes out of Long Beach, California and together with guitarist HUGH
VANDERLINDEN they started THE PH PROJECT and Slow burn is their first album.
Besides these 2 songwriters/guitarists we can also hear a lot of other
musicians and various vocalists. 8 songs are included in total and due to the
use of different singers, it is an album that keeps the interest from start to finish,
because sounds quite diverse. Opener Slow burn is a very strong midtempo bluesy
melodic rock/classic rocker with also great soulful vocals, perhaps a bit BAD
COMPANY ish. Up next are Secret place and Left me for dead, which are a bit in
the same style. but the difference is that these songs feature a female singer,
who is not as good as the male singer of the first song. Jump right in brings
another singer, who sounds even more soulful and really strong on this groovy
funky 70s inspired pop/rocker. Rainbow in your eyes is a very strong
semi-ballad with a certain AOR/Westcoast feeling of the early 80s and it
features superb vocals/harmonyvocals during the catchy chorus (a bit like
ENCHANT without the Prog influences). Detroit song is a slowtempo bluesy rocker
at first sight, but it develops into an impressive soulful semi melodic rocker
with beautiful harmonyvocals during the chorus. This is bad follow and is a
pure (slowtempo) Bluesrocksong with once again excellent vocalwork. Closing
track Cold winds is a calm singer/songwriter acoustic piece, sweet and safe
sounding with higher pitched JONI MITCHELL ish female vocals. Concluded, this
is a really interesting band/project, although next time I would prefer only
the male singers and also perhaps a few uptempo rockers. However, I am quite
impressed here and I do hope they are able to do something official in the
future, especially a release on vinyl would be nice. Anyway, check this out at:
https://thephproject.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.1 out of 10)
SHIVAN
LUCA 'ALBERO DELLA VITA' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Out of Los Angeles
comes the talented singer/songwriter SHIVAN LUCA, who is able to sing quite
well and compose the kind of top 40 singer/songwriter melodic popsongs that is
currently quite popular. The 11 songs on his latest album Albero della vita are
all quite nice and sweet, reminding quite a lot of ED SHEERAN. It starts with a
calm acoustic piece, but as the album continues we get to hear more uptempo
happy radiofriendly pop/rock songs, such as the very catchy All we need for
love that also reminds me a bit of JAMES BAY, and Sundress. It would not
surprise me actually if Shivan breaks through in the future, because he has the
potential. On the other hand I do hope for a bit more diversity and some
rockier moments as well, because now the material sounds quite thin.
Nevertheless, if you're into the aforementioned singer/songwriters, then SHIVAN
LUCA is highly recommended. Check out more at: http://shivan-music.com/home
(Points:
7.7 out of 10)
SYMFINITY
'ANTHEM' (INDEPENDENT/USA IMPORT)
Although the New York based band SYMFINITY
consists of 4 members, Seann Branchfield / Vocals, John "Doc"
Schwartzberg / Guitars, Crystal Kim / Piano and Averi / Flute, Piccolo,
Trumpet, there is a full orchestra backing them up on each and every song of
the 11 included tracks of their debut album Anthem. Seann can sing really well
and the melodies he sings in songs like Flipside and Dynamite are really
beautiful. The band is playing their own brand of European Gothic Melodic
Symphonic Metal in the style of WITHIN TEMPTATION, NIGHTWISH, EPICA, THEOCRACY,
with a sorta theatrical influences that even recalls QUEEN and ROBBY VALENTINE
here and there, such as during The way I run from you that even reveals some
Pomprock influences a la KAYAK, KANSAS and AVIARY. This is actually a really
impressive album, but the only remark would be that the production could be
better, because if this was recorded somewhere in Europe under the wings of a
major producer and released on a major rock/metal label over here, this could
well turn into a majestic sensational album! Now this is the only thing that
should be improved next time, because musically (and also vocally) speaking
SYMFINITY are doing it really well, sounding very Symphonic and Classical Music
orientated while retaining the rock/metal approach. Mix up all the mentioned
bands with an orchestra and also throw in some Musical/Opera influences, then
you're close to SYMFINITY! If you're starting to become interested, you can
check out more at: www.symfinity.com
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
BERGETON
'MIAMI MURDER' (MEUSRECORDS/DARKHAN MUSIC/PLASTIC HEAD/CREATIVE ECLIPSE
PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
In the past few years
the Synthwave genre has brought us many great releases and this particular
genre has become more and more popular I noticed. I once attended an amazing
MAGIC SWORD concert and I have to say this is definitely a genre that should
get a lot more attention, because it captures a vibe that gets you in a certain
hypnotic trance. BERGETON from Oslo, Norway releases a sensational debut album
titled Miami murder, which is easily a superb piece of pure instrumental
Synthwave. The man behind BERGETON is MORTEN BERGETON, who is also known as
TELOCH of the legendary Norwegian Black Metal band MAYHEM. With BERGETON he
goes into a completely different direction, with 80s retro Synthwave sounds. 8
songs are included, of which msot are uptempo pieces, such as the wonderful
Arabian nights, Depeche load and Lambo, but there's also time for a slower
midtempo tune like the pure 80s sounding sci-fi movie theme song Miami murder
that almost reminds me of classic JAN HAMMER meets TANGERINE DREAM and
JEAN-MICHEL JARRE, and how about Natasha KGB, which has even elements of
classic ALAN PARSONS PROJECT meets KNIGHT RIDER. BERGETON does it really well
and if you like MAGIC SWORD, PERTURBATOR, STRANGER THINGS, BLADE RUNNER and
such, then this is a must to chek out at: https://bergeton.bandcamp.com/album/miami-murder-2
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
SILENT
EYES 'SILENT EYES' (INDEPENDENT/CREATIVE ECLIPSE PR/GERMANY IMPORT)
Out of Newcastle,
Australia comes the Progressive Rockband SILENT EYES, which is actually the
brainchild of Keelan Butterick, who plays Acoustic guitars, Electric guitars,
Bass guitar and sings on the 5 songs of the same titled debut EP. He does get
some help on drums by Alex Otoole and on Piano by Alex Wilson. It's a mini-CD
and it sounds really impressive! Opener Homeward bound is a lovely calmer
melodic progressive rocker with strong vocals by Keelan and it has a very
relaxing vibe. This is progrock like we know it from the past few years, which
is very much song based and is therefore close to the 21st century MARILLION,
AIRBAG, STEVEN WILSON, PORCUPINE TREE and such. The rest of the album follows
more or less this direction, although some of the songs are even calmer with an
acoustic approach, all showing what a wonderful singer Keelan is. Check them
out at: https://silenteyes.bandcamp.com/album/silent-eyes
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
MICHAEL
LANDAU 'LIQUID QUARTET LIVE' (MASCOT LABEL GROUP)
The legendary American
MICHAEL LANDAU is known as musician, audio engineer and record producer on
countless albums by a diversity of acts, such as MICHAEL JACKSON, SEAL, RICHARD
MARX, STEVE PERRY, STEVIE NICKS, MARI HAMADA and many more. He was one of the 4
major session guitarists in the L.A. music scene of the 1980s playing on
countless albums from that period, alongside fellow guitarists like DAN HUFF,
STEVE LUKATHER and MICHAEL THOMPSON. Those 3 guitarists also had own solo and
band carreers going on in the AOR/Westcoast direction, while MICHAEL LANDAU
clearly choose a Bluesrock direction on his solo albums. He released quite a
lot records on his own the past 30 years and his latest album is called Liquid
Quartet Live, which was actually also the start of a new band/project back in
2018, and this cooperation has now resulted in a full album. The album was
recorded live at a Jazz club in Los Angeles in November 2019, and besides
Michael on guitar and vocals, the band consists of drummer Abe Laboriel Jr
(PAUL MCCARTNEY), bassist Jimmy Johnson (ALLAN HOLDSWORTH) and on guitar and
vocals, David Frazee (BURNING WATER). The included music is mostly high class
Bluesy Rock with influences from Jazz in the rhythm section, Classic Rock
during the guitarsolo's (just listen to the superb Greedy life for example) and
Soulful vocalwork by Michael himself. Without a doubt, Michael is an underrated
vocalist and guitarist who should be up there with the other big blues rock
musicians. The 10 songs on this album show that live on stage Michael is one of
the best, singing with a voice a lot of singers will be jealous of, while of
course his guitarplaying is also exceptional. After listening to the album a few
times, the highlights are definitely the rockier Well let's just see, the
lovely calmer Killing time, the heavy groovy Bad friend and th beautiful calmer
bluesy ballad One tear away. MICHAEL LANDAU's new album is something you need
to hear for yourself, because these guys are not just session musicians,
because they can also deliver something wonderful on their own. All the
information you need to know on Michael can be found at: https://mikelandau.com
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
DARWIN
2 'A FROZEN WAR' (ORIGIN OF SPECIES/NINETEEN 73/UK IMPORT)
DARWIN is a songwriter, guitarist, creator
and producer who now delivers his 2nd album as DARWIN 2. The
album A frozen war also features 2 major names from the music world, because
drummer/keyboardplayer SIMON PHILLIPS (TOTO, HIROMI, AC/DC and countless
others) and vocalist/bassist MATT BISSONETTE (DAVID LEE ROTH, A440, RICK
SPRINGFIELD, ELTON JOHN and countless others as well) are involved here.
However, there is an additional list of musicians that are taking part of
Darwin’s adventure, because also DEREK SHERINIAN, GREG HOWE, BILLY SHEEHAN and
many more big names from the rock/metal world can be heard as well. Anyway, the
included music is a mix of Progressive Metal, Progrock and a touch of
AOR/Melodic Rock. 5 long songs are included and it starts with Nightmare of my
dreams and Future history, both THRESHOLD ish melodic progmetal tunes that
immediately show the incredible high quality of this album, with also quite
strong lead vocals by Matt (who knew this famous bass player could sing so
well!). Eternal life is calmer and sounds almost like TOTO, with its strong
harmonies and melodic semi-AOR ballad ish approach and also has light Neo-Prog
influences as well. This is what we would call back in the day well-thought
AOR, with a WHITE HEART ish superb chorus and a fantastic classic 80s rocking
guitarsolo a la NIGHT RANGER, but also a proggy twist. The mixture of melodic
rock and prog can also be heard during the titletrack A frozen war, while
closing track Another year is basically pure uptempo AOR/Melodic Rock, close to
TEN/GARY HUGHES, so this is definitely a sensational song. A frozen war is a
great melodic concept album with a mixture of various rocksounds and without a
doubt its highly recommended! More info at: https://darwin.is/t
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
FEROCIOUS
DOG 'VARIOUS ALBUMS' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
The British band FEROCIOUS DOG have been
around since 1988, but it took them a while before their debut album was
released, because the same titled first album dates back to 2013. Since their
debut however 3 more full-length albums were released and so in the past 7
years the band has delivered 4 official albums in contrast to their first 25
years of activity. The band sent me all their albums and I have really enjoyed
their wonderful work. Their music is very melodic Celtic-Folk-Punkrock
orientated, sorta like a slightly more polished version of DROPKICK MUPRHY'S.
The albums all follow the same kinda style, which is mostly uptempo typical
Celtic rocking material with memorable choruses that are almost out of the Oi!
league, yet also a bit more leaning towards melodic rock somehow. Remarkable
tracks from their first 3 albums are Freeborn John (a midtempo tune with a
Reggae ish beat, but halfway changes into the folksy uptempo rocker with
violins and gets even faster), Quiet Paddy (like DROPKICK MUPRHY'S Rose
tattoo), Marie’s Wedding Pt III (ballad ish) and Class war (Reggae meets epic
uptempo punk). Most notable about this band is that the lyrics are very
political orientated, with sometimes very long stories. The reason is that the
band's singer Ken Bonsall's son sadly committed suicide after returning from
the warzone in Afghanistan. His son never got any help for the post-traumatic
stress he experienced after his time in that country. Via Ken's band he has
raised awareness for other victims in the hope something will change in the
future. Anyway, besides Ken, other involved musicians are Dan Booth - Fiddle
& co. Song Writer, John Leonard - Mandolin, guitar, banjo & Penny
Whistle, Les Carter - Guitarist, John Alexander - Bassist and Alex Smith -
Drummer. The most recent album is titled Fake news & propaganda, which is a
bit more polished than the rawer sound of the earlier records. Nevertheless,
this is their strongest album so far with a crystal clear sound and some
fantastic songs that sound really cheerful and are easy to sing-a-long. They
are mostly uptempo orientated and very melodic, with as highlights Cry Of The
Celt, Traitor's Gate, Cover Me and the calmer Yellow Feather. Ken is an
excellent singer with a clean melodic tone in his voice and the music of the
band is live on stage absolutely a guarantee for a great party! Check out this
band at: https://ferociousdog.co.uk/
(Points:
8.6 out of 10)
AENEMICA
'SECRET LINES' (INDEPENDENT/GERMAN IMPORT)
Founded in 2012, the German band AENEMICA
recently released their 2nd (mini) album Secret lines. The band
is formed around vocalist Daniel Stendera, guitarist David Vemmer, guitarist
Fabio Alessio, bassist Dima Friesen and drummer John Sternberg, and the music
they create takes a bit of Progmetal, Progressive Rock, European Gothic Metal,
Melodic Rock and American Alternative/Nu-Rock/Metal. The result is modern and
very melodic, with mostly midtempo tunes that sound really good. They seem to
be able to come up with a sound that will appeal to a lot of people, because
it’s very modern and at the same the melodies and choruses are extremely
catchy, sorta mixing THE RASMUS, THREE DAYS GRACE and WITHIN TEMPTATION. The
highlights are Stay (I Won´T Let You Go), Just a Few Lines and Reverie (superb
melodies!). This is definitely quality stuff and the only remark I could make
is that next time some more diversity wouldn’t hurt, so include an uptempo
rocker, a ballad or something like that. Nevertheless, AENIMA delivers a great
record here and for more info please go to: http://www.aenemica.com/band/
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
THE WAR
ON DRUGS 'LIVE DRUGS' (SUPER HIGH QUALITY RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
There are a bunch of
'new generation' bands out there that have become very popular with every new
release. BEAR'S DEN, CALEXICO and THE WAR ON DRUGS are bands that started quite
small, but have built up a huge reputation the past 10-15 years. THE WAR ON
DRUGS are not really original musically speaking, because they combine elements
of NEIL YOUNG, BOB SEGER, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and such with a slight light 80s
darker pop/rocksound (a la ICEHOUSE/RED RIDER/REFUGEE), but nevertheless they
have developed their own kinda sound through the years. Their mixture of
Heartland Rock meets Americana Pop/Rock is done exceptionally well on their
studio-albums, but live they also deliver and that can now be heard on this
live album Live drugs. 10 songs are included, of which the highlights are Red
eyes, Eyes to the wind and Under the pressure. Live they are really wonderful
and a joy to listen to, so the fans of the band will absolutely fall in love
here, because they can hear their favorite band now live on record, which is a
nice comfort in these rare covid times. More info at: https://www.thewarondrugs.net/home
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
SLEEPER
& SNAKE 'FRESCO SHED' (UPSET THE RHYTHM!/KONKURRENT)
Out of Australia comes
the 2-piece band SLEEPER & SNAKE and their 2nd album Fresco shed is quite
an experimental album that is hard to compare, so they clearly have an own
identity. They combine a lot of late 60s psychedelic flower power music with a
sorta Indian World Music part and add some Jazz influences to make it sound all
together like nothing else out there. Quite challenging and interesting,
although it takes a few spins to really understand this band. I think live on
stage this will work really great, as you need to have a visual performance in
front you when listening to this hypnotic music. Check it out for yourself at: https://sleeperandsnake.bandcamp.com/track/sugar-and-gold
(Points:
7.8 out of 10)
THE
COOL GREENHOUSE 'THE COOL GREENHOUSE' (IN HOUSE PRESS/KONKURRENT)
When listening to the
first couple of seconds of the debut album of the Nottingham based band THE
COOL GREENHOUSE, we can hear typical British Post-Punk of the early 80s. It
might not sound original at all, the band does a pretty good job here, which is
mostly thanks to bandleader/vocalist/guitarist TOM GREENHOUSE. Most of the 11
included songs head into the same direction, which is uptempo with the
'spoken-word' kinda vocals of Tom. It ain't bad at all, but on the other hand
it does sound a bit monotone, so more diversity is really necessary on a future
record. Also the fact that Tom is not really singing is making it all sound a
bit the same, so recommended to the band to work on this. Nevertheless, if
you're interested in a cross between TALKING HEADS, THE FALL and THE VELVET
UNDERGROUND, then you might want to check out THE COOL GREENHOUSE at: https://thecoolgreenhouse.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
7.6 out of 10)
POOR
GENETIC MATERIAL 'HERE NOW' (QUIXOTE MUSIC/SWISS IMPORT)
The German band POOR
GENETIC MATERIAL have been around for a long time and every now and then I am
able to review one of their albums. They always deliver high quality calmer
melodic progressive rock with superb vocals by lead singer PHILIP GRIFFITHS.
Now his son Martin has also entered the band's line up and he sings on 1 song (the
album's longest and most proggiest song The garden) and he does it really well
actually! The music on Here now fits somewhere between the Canadian MYSTERY and
ENCHANT, although after 20+ years in the music business POOR GENETIC MATERIAL
have created a sorta own sound. 6 songs are included in total, of which 4 are
quite lengthy. The absolute highlight is the stunning Note from my younger
self, which is perhaps the best song POOR GENETIC MATERIAL has ever recorded in
their career! This beautiful melodic progrocksong is also belonging to the best
songs of 2020, due to it's lovely memorable melodies. Although POOR GENETIC
MATERIAL is not doing anything new in the Neo-Progscene on their new album,
they once again deliver high quality super melodic progrock and also this new
album is a wonderful record to listen to over and over again, with as mentioned
that sensational song Note from my younger self. If you're a Neo-progfan, then
please make sure to check out this new album of a band that is unstoppable,
especially since now both father and son Griffiths are singing! More info at: https://www.facebook.com/poorgeneticmaterial
(Points:
8.5 out of 10)
THE
GREEN CHILD 'SHIMMERING BASSET' (UPSET THE RHYTHM!/KONKURRENT)
THE GREEN CHILD is a
duo settled in Australia, although it started as a long-distance affair between
the Californian Raven Mahon (furniture maker and former member of Grass Widow)
and the Australian Mikey Young (recording engineer and band member of Total
Control, Eddy Current Suppression Ring). Now based in the same house in
Australia they recorded their 2nd album Shimmering basset. The included music
is synthesizer based Indie Pop meets Dreampop and features mostly calmer songs.
It does sound quite well, but when going for a more rockier approach such as
the uptempo Tony Bandana, it gets a bit 70s Westcoast meets Dreampop
orientated, kinda like DONNY BENET. The lush female vocals give it a real
atmosheric dreampop approach and the quirky 80s influenced synths make it all
sound quite thin actually, which in this case is no problem at all, especially
during a superb song like Resurrection. THE GREEN CHILD deliver a nice record
here and you can check it out for yourself at: https://thegreenchild.bandcamp.com/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
VINTAGE
CROP 'SERVE TO SERVE AGAIN' (UPSET THE RHYTHM!/KONKURRENT)
Although they sound
very British, VINTAGE CROP is coming out of Australia and they deliver one of
the better sounding Postpunkalbums in a long time. Serve to serve again is
their 2nd album so far and with this new album they can easily compete with
other bands from the New Wave Of PostPunk movement, which means this album is a
must-have for fans of bands like LIFE, FONTAINES D.C., THE MURDER CAPITAL and
such. The 12 short songs on the album quickly pass by, but thankfully it is of
a very high level all throughout the record, with as highlights the uptempo
rockers No praise (shortest song, only 57 seconds), Streetview (longest song, 6
1/2 minutes!), the titletrack Serve to serve again and Life and times. The band
also slows things down a bit a few times (The north) and is quite aggressive
during an almost hardcore-punksong like Jacks Casino, while Just my luck is
pure late 1970s Punkrock (with a guitarsolo!), so there is enough diversity
going on here to keep everyone entertained from start to finish. Check them out
at: https://vintagecrop.bandcamp.com/album/serve-to-serve-again
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
FUZZ
'III' (IN THE RED RECORDS/KONKURRENT)
The Californian band FUZZ
was formed in 2011 and III is likewise their 3rd album. In the
line-up we can find TY SEGALL on vocals and drums, and he is of course quite
well-known as a solo artist. Vocalist/guitarist CHARLES MOOTHART is also known
for his involvement in Ty’s solo band and he is also part of FUZZ. The line-up
of this 3-piece band is completed by vocalist/bassist CHAD UBOVICH. If you’re
familiar with Ty’s solo recordings and/or FUZZ, you know that this is classic
rock orientated. Opener Returning on this new FUZZ album is a lovely massive
sounding fuzzy Stoner Rock classic with a sound that fits somewhere between
classic BLACK SABBATH and SOUNDGARDEN. The following songs continue this style,
so the high level is kept until the very end, with as other highlights Spit, Time
collapse and the uptempo Mirror (with THIN LIZZY ish influences). The band has
an authentic 1970s orientated sound, with massive fuzzy guitar riffs and
soaring guitarsolo's (just listen to the guitar sounds they create during Time
colapse for example), but also they keep things melodic and clean in the
vocal/chorus department. Without a doubt, FUZZ have delivered a new masterpiece
in the Stoner Rock/Fuzz/Psychedelic 70s/Doom Metal direction, so any fan of
these genres will absolutely love this new FUZZ record! More info at: https://intheredrecords.com/collections/fuzz
(Points:
8.7 out of 10)
KIRA
KOV 'I NAT BLIR VI GAMLE' (STUNT RECORDS/SUNDANCE MUSIC/DENMARK IMPORT)
Out of Denmark comes
KIRA KOV, who is best known as being the singer of the band KIRA & THE
KINDRED SPIRIT. She also has a solo career and I received 2 albums she released
the past 2 years, The echo of you and I Nat Blir Vi Gamle. The echo of you was
released in 2018 and features Kira singing in English instead of Danish, which
is the language she uses on her most recent album I nat blir vi gamle from
2019. The 2018 album is dark folk orientated, calmer, less experimental and
more acoustic guitar tingled than the 2019 album. Supernatural ecstasy is one
of the most polished songs here however, because this is a lovely midtempo
singer/songwriter pop piece and with closing track I tried to look into your
eyes in a photograph today it's like we're listening to the female version of
LEONARD COHEN. As mentioned, the 2019 album I Nat Blir Vi Gamle is sung in
English and also introduces synths upfront. This album starts with the haunting
Hollywood, with its slow lush dark ambient dreampop meets atmospheric
prog/krautrocksound, kinda like KATE BUSH, but then different. KIRA KOV’s sound
is definitely very impressive and quite original actually, with 9 more songs
that capture the experimental melancholic sound of the opening song, but it
still is melodic thanks to the inspiring vocalwork of Kira. Other highlights
are Tagetale, I en verdern sa urolig (very strong mixture of slow ambient
progressive pop and a bit of jazz) and the uptempo Brutal. The sound is also
reminding me of ENIGMA somehow, with a certain early 90s TWIN PEAKS kinda vibe,
yet also with a prog touch and it still sounds fresh and modern like for
example MARISSA NADLER meets NICK CAVE. Basically, Kira has a lot to say on her
solo-albums and personally I would prefer her Danish album I Nat Blir Vi Gamle.
More info at: http://kiramusic.com/wp/
(Points:
8.2 out of 10)
LUNEAR
'MANY MILES AWAY/CURVE AXIS SYMMETRY' (INDEPENDENT/SPAIN IMPORT)
Out of France comes
LUNEAR, a progressive rockband formed around Keyboardist and singer Paul J. No,
drummer Sebastien Bournier and guitarist/bassist Jean-Philippe Benadjer.
Together this 3-piece band has released 2 albums so far, starting with Many
miles away, which was released in 2018. This album shows that we are dealing here
with a great melodic progressive rockband with a focus on song based material.
Highlights on that first album are In between (very good and melodic, 1970s
orientated, a bit ALAN PARSONS PROJECT/KAYAK/CAMEL ish), Just another song
about that girl (beautiful uptempo neo-progressive rocker), Don't be scared
(lovely keyboard based classic melodic progressive rock), the melodic
semi-rockballad So...many... (a la FOR ABSENT FRIENDS and POOR GENETIC
MATERIAL) and the uptempo neo-progrocker Conflagration, with it's fantastic
melodic chorus a la SUBSIGNAL and ENCHANT. Without a doubt, this is a great
start for a debut, with a crystal clear sound and strong vocals, and now 2
years later LUNEAR returns with a great follow-up titled Curve axis symmetry.
Musically nothing has changed thankfully and so we can once again hear quality
melodic progressive rock. The highlights on the new album are the IQ ish opener
First death, the calmer The rise and fall of earth and the excellent midtempo
keyboard/chorus friendly Earth's population 1. Check out this wonderful French
band at: http://lunearmusic.com/
(Points:
8.3 out of 10)
KIMBERLY
REW AND LEE CAVE-BERRY 'VARIOUS ALBUMS' (KL RECORDINGS/UK IMPORT)
The Camridge based duo
KIMBERLY REW & LEE CAVE-BERRY sent me 3 CDs they released together the past
5 years. The first CD is an excellent tribute to the legendary band THE TROGGS,
which is done very well, staying true to the original classic 1960s British
Beat/Rocksound. Some more info on Kimberly learns that he was part of the
legendary bands SOFT BOYS and KATRINA AND THE WAVES in the past, writing their
classics Walking on sunshine and the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest winning song
Love shine a light. He also wrote THE BANGLES classic Going down to Liverpool
and actually he has done a lot in his extensive career. With his wife and
musical partner LEE CAVE-BERRY he lives in Cambridge and besides THE TROGGS
tribute CD, I also received 2 regular albums of them, Enjoy the rest of your
day from 2018 and The best of from 2020. The 2018 release starts with a
Rockabilly tune, but the following 13 songs are an incredible diversity of
music styles from singer/songwriter to rock and roll to humoristic British
theatrical music. Their new album The best of contains 21 songs recorded over
the years and it is clearly more rock orientated, with also shared vocals
between Kimberly and Lee. The highlights on this new CD are the rockers It
makes me happy (remastered by JOHN VERITY), English road (STATUS QUO style) and
All I want is you for Christmas, Stomping all over the world (pure 80s melodic
Powerpoprocker), the catchy early 80s female fronted Poprocker Yours truly
(like BLONDIE meets PAT BENATAR, remastered by JOHN VERITY again) and the
quirky British Punky Powerpoprocker Some days you eat the bear. Although their
new The best of CD is more rock based, this duo is overall musically speaking
very diverse. Kimberly and Lee are gifted musicians who extend their
discography with every new release and I think many more will follow from this
musical duo in the future. Check out more at: https://kimberleyrew.co.uk/
(Points:
8.0 out of 10)
THE
PURPLE SHOES 'SMALL TOWN FAIRY TALES' (INDEPENDENT/UK IMPORT)
Out of the UK comes
THE PURPLE SHOES, a duo playing a sorta melodic folk/rock style with shared
vocals, although the female vocals take up the majority of the vocals. The duo
consists of Marie Dance (vocals/Acoustic guitar) and Michael Bickers
(Vocals/Lead guitar) and they are helped by a list of guest musicians playing
bass, drums, sax, fiddle and providing backing vocals. 12 songs are included on
the duo's new album Small town fairy tales. The music is uptempo folksy
pop/rock with a focus on strong melodies, of which the highlights are the
catchy Good morning (Is it over?) (an almost AORish chorus is smiling at us
here), Heartbreaker (a semi-ballad/midtempo tune that reminds me so much of
CHALLENGE if anyone can remember this stripped-AOR duo from the 90s) and the
groovy Born to play. Some of the songs are very calm and almost SIMON &
GARFUNKEL kinda singer/songwriter pop, but overall the songs have a positive
uptempo vibe. The only recommendation I could give to them is to rock things up
a bit next time to give it a richer sound. Check out more on this duo at: https://purpleshoesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/small-town-fairy-tales
(Points:
7.6 out of 10)
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