Issue 2024-052
Leon Alvarado — The Changing Tide
Leon Alvarado's The Changing Tide is the Texan keyboardist's tribute to the influence of Pink Floyd. Using Floyd's signature sounds to try and make material that combines with and incorporates Alvarado's and his guests' personal styles. In this the album is successful with its melodies and arrangements put through a Floydian blender and the resulting mixture is rather winning.
There is also quite a lot of fun to be had in playing spot the reference bingo, ticking off various Pink tropes. Heartbeat sound here tick, fabulous slide guitar and guitar work throughout tick, Set The Controls... bass work tick, Dark Side... saxophone tick and Alvarado channelling the spirit of Richard Wright with some lovely organ, synth and piano work, tick. See the album's Bandcamp page for a full list of credits.
All the Alvarado written tracks are engaging and it is an obvious labour of love. The cover of Brain Damage sticks to fairly close to the original for my taste, I prefer covers that expand or rework completely the original. Of Alvarado's tracks, the opening and the title tracks are super and the rest are high quality, all arranged with care and no little attention to detail. The production is superb.
Leon Alvarado's The Changing Tide is like over hearing tunes sit at a bar and reminisce and argue over what parts of Pink Floyd's extensive back catalogue they like the best and how they would use the sound worlds created for their own creative purposes, and then listening to the successful results.
Leon Alvarado on DPRP.net
Colin Bass & Daniel Biro — More
It is interesting to read about how friendships start and grow. Daniel Biro was a teenager when he attended a music summer-camp in the French Alps where he met Colin Bass, who was leading some of the workshops there, and who had just joined Camel as bass player for the first time. They kept in touch during the decades to follow, and their long-term friendship resulted in a music collaboration. More already is their second release as a duo, following Still, which came out in 2020.
Besides being a member of Camel in various phases of their existence (1979 - 1981, 1983/84, 1991 - 2003), Colin Bass also made a name for himself as a solo musician, a member of the world music group 3 Mustaphas 3, released a few albums under the name Sabah Habas Mustapha together with musicians from Indonesia, and acted as producer of various albums of artists from Africa amongst others.
Daniel Biro's "birography" on his website has the title "Wandering and wondering". He feels at home in various musical styles: jazz rock/fusion prog of his band Mysteries Of The Revolution — their latest album reviewed here on DPRP — and ambient/electronic with his outfit Echo Engine. Additionally, he has written and produced numerous soundtracks for international TV and films, and is the founder of the record label Sargasso, which released this album. Hence, it becomes evident that on More, we have two musicians who share a lot of things: experience, a certain serenity, open-mindedness, diversity with respect to languages, and cultures, and the willingness to think outside the box - musically and generally. All these factors, I think, are reflected in their music.
On this release, Colin Bass plays bass guitar, percussion, and sings, Daniel Biro plays keyboards and wrote the music for eight of the songs. Camel-founding member and guitarist Andrew Latimer acts as special guest on five, Steve Swift as guitarist on one of the tracks. In terms of the lyrics, which come from Colin, I assume, the songs cover a range of topics, from childhood memories and the passage of time to more politicised themes to otherworldly visions. Definitely worth mentioning also is the layout of the CD with its digipack format, its artwork, and the booklet with beautiful photographs.
Turning to the music, the first thing I discovered is that, compared to his predecessor Still, the approach is less minimalistic and not as ambient. It's true, the songs by and large sound fragile, and delicate, due to the instrumentation still being scarce, especially with respect to the drums and percussion. However, each instrument is always used effectively, precisely and purposefully to create a rather romantic and emotional feeling throughout. However, the overall mellow and fragile character of the music does not come at the expense of dynamics and punch, such as displayed in the opener More, and in Back Again. Also, Andrew Latimer's guitar playing in songs such as Dinner In Delphi, and Deep Fake (those melodic solos from the good old Camel-days that never seem to end...) provide for variety, and a "rockier" feeling. Colin's singing in his gentle, mellow voice for me is reminiscent of Camel as well. At some points in time, though, I caught myself thinking that I heard elements of the softer parts of Dire Straits (take that swirling organ intro, the first guitar bars, and Colin's vocals in More, for instance, or the closing track Smile Of Smiles). Given that Colin's "home instrument" is the bass guitar, this instrument takes a bit of a back seat on this release in my opinion. I got the feeling that his emphasis is more on the vocals.
Daniel Biro never made a secret of his passion for the Fender Rhodes piano, and the melodic use of this great instrument of the 70ies on many occasions makes the music sound vintage and analogue. I particularly like the way this analogue feeling is combined with digitally sounding organ and layers of ambient synthesizers. Keyboards are very present, yet do not intrude themselves on the listener. They rather put themselves at the service of the entire concept of this release, which is to offer well-balanced, accessible, melodic, sometimes timidly sounding, delicate, and catchy music to be listened to with headphones on alone with a glass of wine, in your car or together with someone you love.
I very much like this album. It is another example of how it pays off not to be too dogmatic about what falls under progressive rock and to challenge one's approach to this musical genre every now and then. I think there must be quite a few people who consider progressive rock as being too hectic and too top-heavy (my wife belongs to that group). I can counter these listeners with full conviction: this album is not like that (fortunately, my wife came to the same conclusion). It comes along in an unagitated manner, elegant, and easy to listen to, well arranged and produced, with depth but nonetheless twinkle-toed, showing a pleasant understatement despite being demanding, relaxing without becoming boring. For me, it is the ideal kind of music to be listened to whilst driving. It works both in the morning and evening rush hours, making me forget my anger about red lights, and traffic jams, and whilst riding on a scenic route, evoking all kind of joyful associations. More already has an ongoing place in the old-fashioned CD changer in my car (and on my "contenders for the 2024 album of the year" -list).
Recommended to everyone wishing to contrast the daily hustle and bustle with melodic, accessible, yet ambitious music - helping to wind down and to switch off. Colin, Daniel: this album's title sounds promising with respect to further output of your cooperation: "I could do with a little more of you".
Bass Communion — The Itself of Itself
Steven Wilson may be many things, but pigeonholed he's not. Certainly, the vastness and diversity of his catalogue are credible testimony to this, one of the most intriguing iterations of his artistry being Bass Communion, which is Wilson's outlet for all things ambient, noise, drone and in general any free-form expression of the aural kind.
The Itself Of Itself is a welcome return to this eerie sonic universe after a few years of dormancy, its last full-length instalment being Cenotaph released in the now distant year of 2011. Another aspect worth mentioning is that, whereas on previous albums you would often find a healthy guest list — Theo Travis and Robert Fripp among others — on the credits, this time it's a solo affair 100%, with Wilson carrying out all tape manipulation, feedback looping and noise sampling duties. The himself of himself.
Now, for the casual listener an album such as this one might come across as difficult listening, and this is not to say there aren't any "hostile" passages. Case in point is the aptly titled Blackmail, with all its noisy swathes of static and overall uneasiness. However, others could assert that the likes of Study for Tape Hiss and Other Audio Artefacts are 12 minutes of pure nothingness, and while they may have a point — not that I agree — it is also arguable that its very own title is somehow mischievously self-explanatory.
Fear not, though, for there is a lot to be unearthed and relished over these other-worldly 62 minutes. In this sense, pieces such as Unperson or the title track are the perfect encapsulation of all things Bass Communion, bringing together mood, repetition and dread in expertly engineered 10-minute journeys. There's also good news for those who've been asking for a second Storm Corrosion outing, as both Apparition tracks would have fit naturally in with that project's ghostly aesthetic. Maybe hinting at things to come?
Wilson may be many things, and one of these is "expert sound engineer", of which this Itself Of Itself is good proof. It might not become your new favourite Steven Wilson recording anytime soon, but it's well worth losing yourself in this gallery of disquieting soundscapes.
Nagual — And Once the Storm is Over...
The short Bandcamp presentation of the Italian sextet Nagual made me wonder, how the times change. Citation: “Nagual proposes original songs and 70/80/90s rock covers, mainly influenced by: Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Whitesnake (78/93 era), Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Alice in Chains”. Twenty years ago you simply couldn't have had both – it was either grunge or 70s/80s trad hard rock, right? History compresses events, genres and movements into bricks and encyclopedias in a funny, even if logic, manner. These musings however do not really answer the implied question: what's the reason to review a band with this array of influences in prog community? Well, here's the reason: Nagual uses elements of prog rock in their white blues / hard rock / grunge rock material. And the band does it with style and charm, frankly speaking. To my memory, Widespread Panic applied something of a similar approach in their country / roots rock, with prog elements serving as extra spice to the main dish.
Back to our heroes. And Once the Storm is Over is the third full-length release by the band, coming from Piacenza. I haven't heard any of the previous material, but here the band leaves an impression of being quite mature and confident, with a lot of American hard rock in their sound, and riffs as if approved by Messrs. Jerry Cantrell and Tom Keifer themselves. Nagual however are way more melodic than AIC or any of the Seattle sound, uhm, representatives, while their influences, indeed, spread far outside grunge. While the first song on the disk is somewhat a miss, Fading Away is a spacey ballad-esque rock graced with vocal duo of Sara and Luca (the latter's raspy but melodic vocals are slightly reminiscent of Peter “Peavey” Wagner of the German heavy metallers Rage's fame). The lazy, torrid Too Far Gone features an insanely addictive, groovy bass line. This should be an awesome live number. And the bulk of prog influences is concentrated in the last three songs – bluesy Where Memories Are Blind, reminiscent of Wishbone Ash ballads, Wildfires as if coming from post-Purpendicular Deep Purple, and Waterwall sounding like William DuValljamming with David Gilmour. Pure honey!
The production is generally good if uneven. Some numbers sound a bit superficial, lacking the implied depth; others, flawlessly produced, with just the right balance between groove and lyricism. My usual complaint is that a lot of releases nowadays are excessively long, with music still playing on and on long after its authors ran out of ideas. Here's the happy opposite: listening to this rather short album left me actually being anxious for more.
The Producers — Producers Box Set
Disc 2, Deluxe Edition: Your Life extended version (7:40), Garden of Flowers - alternative version (5:53), Seven (3:58), There's Only So Much You Can Do (3:29), Freeway - extended version (6:46), Two Tribes (4:50), Garden Of Flowers - Radio Edit with Guitars (4:10)
Disc 3, Alternate Version, 2023 Mix: Freeway (7:46), Waiting For the Right Time (4:43), Your Life (7:41), Man On the Moon (4:06), Every Single Night in Jamaica (5:18), Stay Elaine (3:45), Barking Up the Right Tree (3:20), Garden Of Flowers (5:28), Watching You Out There (5:37). You And I (6:21)
Disc 5, Extras: Broadway (4:54), Come In Elektra (5:53), Give Us a Clue (3:37), Home (4:33), Looking For Love (3:57), Music For Bel Air (4:28), Summer Rain (4:46), The Path of Sydney Arthur (3:51), There’s Only So Much You Can Do (3:31), You And I - Dada Mix (3:13). Your Life - End Intro Idea (00:52)
Disc 5, Instrumentals: Freeway (7:46), Waiting For the Right Time (4:43), Your Life (7:41), Man On the Moon (4:06), Every Single Night in Jamaica (5:18), Stay Elaine (3:45), Barking Up the Right Tree (3:20), Garden Of Flowers (5:28), Watching You Out There (5:37). You And I (6:21), Looking for Love (3:50)
The Producers were a band consisting of Trevor Horn (Yes, The Buggles), Chris Braide (DBA), Lol Creme (10CC), Ash Soan (DBA, Del Amitri) and Steve Lipson (Sniff 'n' the Tears). Their sole album, Made In Basing Street was a brilliant reflection of all of their collective musical experiences. Inexplicably, it received little notice upon its release in 2012. Braide amicably departed for work in the USA and the others began touring as The Trevor Horn Band. Their setlists focused heavily on Horn's career, but included nothing from The Producers album. Perhaps stinging from its lack of commercial success, the band seemingly decided to move on from it. Thankfully, this five CD Box Set gives this unheralded gem a much deserved second chance for recognition.
It is fair to ask how a band that released one studio album warrants a document of such magnitude? This thoroughly entertaining collection provides a convincing answer. Unlike many similar box sets, it is not padded with filler. Besides the two versions of the 'Basing Street' album included, there are enough additional studio tracks to create the illusion of a second recording by the band. These extra songs are not incomplete or in demo form. They are fully realized and many are equal in quality to the main album.
The alternate version of their debut actually improves on what was already an exceptional work. The differences from the original mix are distinct and this new take includes additional progressive elements. There are moments that bear similarity to the Yes Fly From Here album, which was produced by Horn the previous year. Also, Chris Braide's vocals are more prominently featured on this new edition.
The instrumental version offers a different view of the band's talents, both musically and technically. The intricacy of the songs, sans vocals. makes for a compelling listen. Though expertise on the production side of recording inspired the band's name, their immense skills as musicians is equally on display here.
I was not writing for DPRP back when Made In Basing Street was originally released. Over the years, I had considered writing an article about its unsung brilliance. Thankfully, this fantastic new release provides a new opportunity to sing its praises. This beautifully compiled collection is a must for existing fans and anyone who is interested in essential Art Rock, created by masters of the genre.
Sic Mundus — Illusions
For well over five decades now the progressive rock world has seen some truly amazing cover artwork. Next to vintage names like Roger Dean (Yes), Mark Wilkinson (Marillion), Patrick Woodroffe (Pallas), and Rodney Matthews (Magnum, Hawkwind, Asia, whatnot), it is contemporary names like Ed Unitsky (Silhouette, Samurai Of Prog) and Igor Sokolskiy (Karfagen) that instantly come to mind. They are now joined by renowned Polish painter Jarosław Jaśnikowski.
Jaśnikowski's highly attractive steampunk art, a sci-fi subgenre inspired by 19th century industrial steam-powered machinery, is set in an alternative Victorian age. It depicts a dystopian retro-futuristic world that moderately reminds of movies like Mortal Engines and The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It is without doubt the perfect invitation to secure the beautiful hard-cover digi-book version of Illusions. If the limited vinyl version is no longer available that is!
Inspired by the likes of Pink Floyd, Marillion, Porcupine Tree and Dream Theater, Sic Mundus (Andrzej Sesiuk - music, arrangements, keyboards, programming; and Artur Placzyński - lyrics, bass), accompanied by Lucas Emidio - drums, Mikołaj Krzaczek - vocals, and a host of supporting guitarists (amongst whom special guest Maciej Meller (Quidam, Riverside), present an equally captivating invite with their excellent music as immortalised on Illusions. Going the extra mile they have really outdone themselves and suitably match the lovely drawings with well-composed and attractively arranged neo-prog/prog-metal influenced compositions.
Interestingly, these songs did start out differently when they were first independently recorded and released by Sesiuk. Placzyński discovered these version by chance on streaming services and together with Sesiuk set out to transform them into Illusions. The original versions are now no longer available. Judging on movements in songs like Victory Of The Light and This Is An Illusion I do get the feeling they were originally fairly EM based. Which, if indeed true, makes the overall outcome of Illusions all the more impressive.
Featuring guitars by Scott Wright in the first three songs, this outcome in Awakening yields dreamy cinematic atmospheres. Embedded with a subtle hint of tangible industrialism, sensitive melodic deliveries and symphonic elements, embraced by a nightmarish shimmer of vocalised psychedelic paranoia, leisurely provokes intricately crafted neo-prog that remind of Collage. This perfect scenery is followed by the groovy Free Like A Bird which next to pop sensibilities, lush synths and sublime instrumentation, is highlighted by a thematic earworm chorus that sticks for days on end. The successive prog metal influenced instrumental Time Machine adds richness in atmospheric alterations, brightness of synths, grand melancholic guitar flows and interplay inspired by Saga. To me, this turns back the clock to a time of Dreamscape and the wonderful Hubi Meisel album EmOcean.
Night And Day has Iga Kałuża on backing vocals and recalls Millenium. It showcases strength of vocals and depth in arrangements while the atmosphere effortlessly fluctuates between ominously dark and illuminatingly light. Adrian Weiss delivers a peerless guitar solo.
The album reaches its pinnacle point in the form of the triumphant instrumental Victory Of The Light. A magical song that drifts from dark atmospheres into symphonies aglow with classical symphonies. Melodies are dynamically driven onwards by rhythmic propulsion and excellent guitar work by Greg Davies. Together with Adam Cisowski (rhythm guitars), Davies takes full spellbinding care from here on in. After a divine touch of Vangelis in its beautiful transporting bridge, this excellent song ends with a delightful repeat of melodies and themes. It is ultimately concluded by a gloriously spectacular shredding solo by Davies.
Not letting go of this divine momentum, the instrumental Intergalactic Journey follows this with industrial techno designs. Complemented by fierce metal riffs and masterly construed symphonic transitions between ambient and shredding bombast, this alluringly envisions the eclectic industrial progressive mix of KONG. A reference that initially also comes into view in Two Moons. Halfway down, classical elements appear and this instrumental soundscape delectably transforms into a dazzling showcase of inventive melodies and challenging time signatures. Underscored by luxurious synths and a ravishing guitar solo, it surely meets the approval of many a prog metal fan.
Tinctured with influences of Riverside, This Is An illusion also manoeuvres meticulously between the light and dark. And next to elements of synth-pop and New Wave exhibits prog-metal inspired textures in which a gorgeously building bridge acts as the perfect starting vehicle for Maciej Meller to shine bright with a lengthy melancholic solo. A psychedelic reawakening of haunting vocal accomplishments and recurring melodies finally leads the song's engaging melodies into a spirited EM passage which enriched through synth flows and sensitive bass lines beams impressions of Eloy.
A foreboding (re)run of themes and melodies is strengthened in message thanks to Krzaczek's palpable expressions of anger, rage, frustration and despair on the one hand, and those filled with hopeful uplift and wishful longing on the other. Illusions' gloomy contemplative concept finally comes perpetually full circle in Enchanting Island and F.L.A.B.
The reality of it all is that Illusions is a truly fantastic album. One that as infinite grower bursts with outstanding performances and well-developed compositions full of exceptionally arranged changes in pace and atmosphere. All of which captured with pristine depth of sound dynamics that makes the songs exceedingly come alive.
The album is available on Bandcamp and the official Riverside fan-club website. I highly recommend fans of modern progressive rock and those in favour of bands named within this review to check Illusions and its highly captivating artwork out!