Issue 2024-072
Amanda Chaudhary — January Suborbital Denomination
Two years ago my neighbours from two doors down brightened up their family live with a kitten they named Twinky. As explorative, nosy and skittish she once was, she is now a beautiful outgoing young feline blessed with a graceful cuddliness factor of 10 on a 1-to-10-scale.
Being somewhat of a cat-person myself, I in her inquisitive early year gladly offered my services as kitty-sitter. Thereby lovingly stroking her belly for mutual purring pleasure. And feeding her with special cat treats after I had entertained and nurtured her hunting instinct with all sorts of playful toys. All for the finer reward of a gently returned headbutt, the odd affectionate paw knead, and several unexpected lashed out claw scratches.
The reason I share this has everything (and nothing) to do with Chaudhary's January Suborbital Denomination. An album on which she and her Meow Meow band, in line with her previous efforts Meow Meow Band and part of the Split EP, zaps effortlessly through a telethon of deviously treacherous and unpredictable compositions that are in a proverbial sense just as surprisingly juicy, tasty and nutritiously tangy as a Twinkie.
After welcoming everyone in Live From The Desert Lounge with a short lounge of jazz that imaginary televises a 60s vibe, Rambutan instantly leads to groovy Prince funk with frisky New York underground sax that swings and sways seamlessly between R&B and jazz in a Fats Domino meets Argent kind of way. With a finishing touch of vocal sweetness that hints at Karen Carpenter, I imagine this suitable Shaft song to be a perfect fit for a programming on The Hague's North Sea Jazz Festival. Or a colourful 70s-themed Jools Holland TV production for that matter.
Cruising onwards in National Chocolate Oat Milk Day with stately trumpet and succulent bass to which plush keyboards adds a sprinkle of pop/prog-ish 70s Starbuck appeal. Chaudhary then regally switches channels for the artificially weird airing of Ghanaplasticity. A peculiar experimental soundscape that in full avant-garde mode leaps and bounces around freely in freakishly strange realms. This sometimes recalls the quirky obscureness of a 50s sci-fi film.
With every member of the Meow Meow band purring their hearts out in their performance, Chaudhary's transmission in Kislev attractively returns to a programming of sultry sweet and subdued jazz with excellent harmonies and dreamy synth movements. Complemented by funky bass, it creates fine moments of musical fulfilment. As soothing and enjoyable the music is so far though, I do have my reservations towards the overall progressiveness of it all.
Thankfully the peacefully comforting instrumental Taconic Parkway Bridge meets some of these, when in a moment of fine reflection, elegant and earthy percussion and psychedelic guitar movements massage my memories towards nostalgia of early Spirit. Also more to the progressive spectrum lies Endorheic Basin, a soundscape which for the second time on the album effectively swims in an avant-garde pool of freakishly wacky improvised noises and strangely disturbing arrangements that hypnotically resonate with Hawkwind and Gong psychedelics.
Demonstrating to be a complete natural in laying down the groove, Marlon Brando successfully switches back to laid-back and soulfully performed modern jazz fusion. Chaudhary finally ends her eclectic broadcast with Mister Brushies which swinging taps into 1950s ballroom jazz from which a silhouette of Fred Astaire is projected.
Like last time, I do wonder how many actual prog-minded listeners will tune in to Chaudhary's refreshingly executed jazz fusion. But if enigmatic and spiritedly performed modern jazz with kittenish prog leaps does meet your taste approval then January Suborbital Denomination is a flavoursome delicacy worth treating yourself to.
Huis — In The Face Of The Unknown
Canadian band Huis is a blend of AOR, neo-prog and progressive rock, that I discovered in 2014 after their promising debut hit my desk. This was followed by the equally impressive albums called Neither In Heaven in 2016 and Abandoned in 2019. Their latest album, to be released on 15th October 2024, follows in a similar style as its predecessors, having all the subtle qualities we all crave with our music.
The band consist of Sylvain Descôteaux (vocals, keyboards), Michel St-Père (guitars), Johnny Maz (keyboards), (Michel Joncas / bass, Taurus bass pedals), Martin Plante (drums, percussion). Those observant amongst you might notice the inclusion of Michel St-Père who is also the guitarist for Mystery. Not to be outdone it is also interesting to note that Johnny Maz toured Europe for a number of shows with Mystery in 2022. Considering the benefits of cross-pollination of ideas and facilities, Michel's own record label, Unicorn Digital has been used by both bands over many years along with some seriously talented bands since 1996. These include Spaced Out, Hamadryad, Xinema, Nil, Karfagen, Kopecky, Karcius, Gourishankar, Unitopia, Nathan Mahl, Roger Powell (Utopia), Rick Miller, Antoine Fafard, Southern Cross, and many others. The benefits of having a record producer of Michel's talents who is also a supremely accomplished multi instrumentalist must also help to ensure a very professional result for anyone in the recording studio.
Haunting keyboards followed by acoustic guitar a la Hotel California start proceedings for the opener Chaos, the title of which might seem an oxymoron, given the soft beginnings of the song. Rest assured, however. the temperature heats up quite quickly and things get underway properly with some powerful vocals along with solid keyboards and guitar flourishes.
One of the overriding factors that is often missing from a band's lineup, is a good vocalist with power and emotion to match. Thankfully, the band have one incredible vocalist who knows how to use this versatile asset to perfection. I would equate his powerful voice with Jean Pageau from label mates, Mystery, the various vocalists from Polish band, Millenium and a smidgen below Kayak's monster throat warbler, Bart Schwertmann. Let's face it, too many bands within the progressive rock spectrum, rely on their musical dexterity, imagination and ability to compose intricate songs to get their message across but are frequently let down by substandard singers. When you add in the curriculum vitae and innate talent of all the other members of this band, it's easy to understand why they have done so well since their embryonic beginnings 15 years ago.
The band have really gone from strength to strength which is borne out of their songwriting skills which are shared between four members of the band. Given the fact that keyboard players are often credited with a significant amount of the songwriting, it is interesting to note that Johnny Maz has not been included in any of the credits. That is not to say his musical skills are lacking. They are indeed excellent as is witnessed with many of his legendary synth runs and flourishes that punctuate various sections of the album. His delicate use of piano when required along with his ability to inject some melancholy with soft and gentle keyboard passages, help to soften the blow after the band have let loose with a flurry of more propulsive sections.
Their drummer is also particularly adept as his frequent attack of the skins during those sections where some seriously imaginative triplets and fills are required are always readily available. Equally well, Michel St-Pere is also no slouch on the guitar as is witnessed with his stratospheric lead breaks right throughout the album. Add in some solid and imaginative bass from Michel Joncas and you have the perfect recipe for a band seriously on the move. I can easily see them headlining a major progressive rock festival or concert in Canada and once they have totally blitzed the audience with their sonic assault, the world will be their oyster.
Solid, mature songwriting does not come much better than what I am hearing from some of the better Canadian bands these days so if powerful, harmonic singing backstopped by some stellar guitar and keyboard wizardry, is part of your musical requirements, then the latest album by Huis is sure to please.
This will definitely appeal to fans of Kansas (sans violin), Comedy Of Errors, Arena, This Winter Machine, Marillion, Leap Day, Millenium (Poland), Mystery, Kayak, Knight Area, Red Sand, Pendragon, Galahad, Collage, Glass Hammer, IQ, Mindgames, Frost*, Nick Magnus, Neal Morse Band, Sylvan and Downes Braid Association.
JBRI — JBRI
Sometimes when reviewing a new release, especially a debut, it can be difficult to get into but with JBRI's self-titled first album it was an unalloyed joy. I assumed that the name for the band came from the initials of its two founder members Jon Bastable (fretless bass guitars, bass synths, ambience, programming) and Robert Illesh (guitars, keyboards, drum programming, voice) but on their website it says "the name is cod latin J'Bri — I am cheese". This is typical of the impish good humour that lightens even the darkest areas of this release.
The duo had met and worked together in the very well regarded Yes tribute act Fragile, who released a number of Yes covers albums, one of which, Live At The Half Moon, received a positive review here on DPRP.net back in the day. Other members of the Fragile line make appearances on JBRI, Steve Carney (lead vocals) and Mitch Harwood (drums) as well William D Drake (Cardiacs and solo) on Mellotron and multi-instrumentalist James Larcombe on hurdy-gurdy.
Now you may assume from the above that this album will be a suffused with the spirit of Yes, and in some aspects, mainly in the keyboards, that is sometimes the case. However, there is much more than that going on. As JBRI say, "The mood of the album is best described as 'weird'". But don't let that put you off. Eclectic, wildly inventive, neo-prog-space-rock-jazz-fusion would be a much better description of the melodic goodies on JBRI. A sub-genre with a possible membership of only one.
The album, bar a couple of songs and some samples, is instrumental and the duo have great fun flexing their chops throughout without ever descending into self-indulgence.
All the tracks, no matter the length, fly energetically by. The wonderfully titled opener D'kin Riff Uckulous moves from a quiet opening through heavy guitars, bass and drums with flute Mellotron dipping in and out to a fusion coda. The moderately paced space-rock of Swimming In Space follows, all spacey keys, blues accented guitar licks and squelchy funky bass and super guitar solos. Ozric Tentacles should keep a wary eye on this pair if they make more music like this.
Guitar licks get traded with synths on Countdown's funky psychedelia. Then comes the interconnected three-track suite The Depth of Self (Into The Depth, Living A Nightmare, Lucifer Reveals). Here JBRI go into a dark night of the soul, but it still possesses a sly sense of humour. Spread over these three tracks there is a short parody of the British shipping forecast alongside vocals, grand piano runs, guitar and bass blasts, classic rock infused boogie, organ and layers of sequenced synths. Brilliant stuff.
After the suite, the short The Taking whizzes around the world from the West Indies (a stop-start ska like rhythm) to East Indian harmonies in three minutes. The fretless led Circles is a joy. Space rock returns on Void but with a funky fusion bottom line. The closing Phoenix has, in the course of eight minutes, classic Hawkwind synths, guitars from the Mahavishnu Orchestra and bass and drums from Black Market era Weather Report. A fusion highlight amongst many on JBRI's JBRI.
I urge you to have a listen to this unfailingly melodic release. A great debut from this sympatico duo that is high on invention and hangs together superbly. And there's no cheese.
Play it loud it deserves it.
Kaos Moon — The Goldfish
New progressive rock releases available for review always fall into one of the three categories for me: "familiar with the band", "that name rings a bell", and "never heard of". I'm always amazed at how extensive the latter category is for someone like me, who has been a fan of that music for 50 years now. Somebody tell me that prog is a marginal phenomenon in rock music! However, Kaos Moon belong to the bell-ringing category. I have their CD After The Storm, released in 1994, bought I don't know when/where but saved in the deeper layers of my brain as "not bad at all". Hence, Montréal-based Kaos Moon also belong to the names that make me ask with astonishment, "Oh, do they still exist?".
Sometimes, as in the case of Kaos Moon, the answer to that question is not so obvious. The band was formed in 1983 by Bernard Ouellette (lead and backing vocals, drums and percussion, keyboards, acoustic guitars, banjo), but disbanded in 1987 without having produced any recorded material and Bernard Ouellete joining Québec-based peers Visible Wind on their first album thereafter. A reunion took place in 1993, with the first album following in 1994. It took Kaos Moon a further ten years to come up with album number two The Circle Of Madness, and another 20 years to release The Goldfish. On this record, Kaos Moon, besides Bernard, who composed the music and wrote the lyrics, consist of Eric Portolance (bass), and Eric Bonette (electric guitars and backing vocals), plus guest musicians on guitar and Irish bouzouki, harp, sitar and bass.
I was not able to find out whether Kaos Moon existed and performed as a band in between their releases. The press clipping coming with the release mentions an extended hiatus between album two and three. Measured against the possibilities and opportunities for self-promotion and presentation using today's media, the band's presence there is rather restrained, and information thus is quite scarce. But the music speaks for itself at the more.
With some progressive albums, one must beat around the bush for quite a while before getting closer to them. According to my impression, The Goldfish is not of that kind. Its music takes you away after just a few bars, and this despite the fact that the opener Love Transfusion is not the catchiest track on the album, coming across a bit psychedelic and rough in the beginning. And, fortunately, the other side of the coin, namely that easily accessible music can quickly become boring, is missing here. Even repetitive listening keeps on revealing new details and catchy moments, and the songs remains varied. This type of music, which I classify as symphonic prog, evokes a certain nostalgic feeling with me, reminding me of bands and albums I have been listening to since many years already. Indeed, there is a certain retro feel to it, but the music does not sound outdated and stale.
I believe that Bernard must have been listening attentively to Tony Bank's organ playing on the very early Genesis albums, like his colleagues from Genesis-sounding peers such as The Watch, Unifaun, and TCP. Occasionally, i.e. on the tracks Logger's Tale, Noisy Shoes, and Miles Away, I felt reminded of the organ soloing on Genesis' masterpiece Supper's Ready. And that brings us to the comparison-section of this review. Some publications mention Saga and Camel as Kaos Moon's sources of inspiration. I would not have thought of these bands first, though. Maybe Camel to some extent with respect to the guitar melodies here and there, but I rather tend towards some of the Scandinavian bands playing melodic, keyboard-driven symphonic prog, such as Brighteye Brison, Magic Pie, Manticore, and Kaipa. Submarine Silence, Twin Age, Germany's Epidaurus, and Argentine proggers Nexus (all for their use of keyboards) also come to my mind, plus some of the less romantic and melancholic but more neo-prog sounding Italian Bands such as Barock Project, Cellar Noise, Julius Project, and LogoS. And, Kaos Moon are reminiscent of one of the best symphonic prog bands that I know: Canadian peers Huis.
This list certainly is non-exhaustive but the fact that Kaos Moon are comparatively easy to categorise should not lead to the impression that their music lacks originality and individuality. Something that caught my ear on various occasions is the fantastic combination of a slightly distorted, roaring Hammond-sounding organ as the basis for a melodious guitar hook. My favourite track Logger's Tale, especially after minute 5 (absolutely awesome), is the best example for that, but parts of The Goldfish, The King Of Dead Men Living, and the end of The Hatching, the only instrumental track, can keep up very well.
Another feature is the efficiency of the use of keyboards. The lead instrument in various parts of Love Transfusion: is that a mellotron? I have not heard that many solos from this instrument before. The band manages to create a strong presence of keyboards without giving the impression that they outplay the other instruments. To the contrary: the melodic hooks that kept staying in my ears often (but not always) come from Eric's guitar. Plus, there is a good balance between electric and acoustic guitar, and finally, something that is quite distinctive: the selective interspersion of oriental sounds, for instance in the tracks Logger's Tale, Love Transfusion, and The Goldfish, thanks to the use of the sitar. Bernard's vocals, which mostly stay in a high register, are not exceptionally dynamic or varied, but they give the music a certain delicacy and fit the atmosphere of the songs perfectly, which tends to be on an upbeat level by and large.
This is a release that I very much liked listening to. I found an immediate connection to this album, as the music on it is 100% my kind of prog. Reviewing an album of music which fully meets one's preference and taste is a rewarding task. But what does that subjective 100% translate to? Complex, and varied, yet accessible music with strong and catchy melodies by guitar, organ and synthesiser. Very well played and arranged, with earworm-like passages without wear-down effects. Excellent production and sound quality (also the rhythm section fully comes into its own). Dense and compact without unnecessary lengthy elaborations, and, above all, a strong, but not dominating presence of keyboards. Listeners who are into that kind of prog can't make a mistake with this release. But also the ones wishing to familiarise themselves with this musical style can use The Goldfish as a representative introduction to the world of prog. I am certain that this album will end up on my "Top 10 Albums Of The Year 2024" list. The only thing I am a bit worried about is the speed of the releases and the time spans in between them: album 1, add 10 years: album 2, add 20 years: album 3, add x years: album 4. How many years to add for album 4? Please don't use that algorithm going forward and make that x last as short as possible!
The Master's Brew — Elixir
The Master's Brew is the new band formed by Tomas Bodin, the well-known keyboard player from Sweden who is mostly known for being a member of The Flower Kings, although the last Flower Kings album to feature him was Desolation Rose, which was released in 2013.
For this new album, the choice of band name, artwork, and album name might put you on the wrong path when you're trying to find information. I ended up on sites about World of Warcraft and other fantasy franchises. Hopefully after the official release of Elixir, the internet will put people on the path of this new Tomas Bodin release!
When I think of Tomas Bodin I think of the album I AM, damn I played that album a lot. I like it when keyboard players create albums that are not only interesting for keyboard players. More keyboard orientated albums like Cinematograaf I also like but only when I am in the right mindset. Bodin's next album You Are, using the band name Eggs & Dogs, I can play anytime anywhere. In 2015, Bodin released She Belongs To Another Tree and in 2022 the album Nosferatu.
And now, Bodin has started the band The Master's Brew. On drums is Felix Lehrmann, who was also a member of The Flower Kings for a while, and played on Banks Of Eden and Desolation Rose. He also played with Jon Anderson, on his album Invention Of Knowledge. Thomas Stieger is handling the bass and in his career he played with a wide variety of musicians but not a lot of prog musicians. He has played with drummer Lehrmann before, so the rhythm section has some history together. On guitar is JJ Marsh, who has played with Glenn Hughes and Hughes Turner Project. He has released a solo album Music From Planet Marsh, on which Tomas Bodin played the keyboards.
Elixir is an instrumental album with over seventy minutes of music. A lengthy instrumental album but I can already say that this is not too much in this case. A couple of songs have a Flower Kings vibe, which is probably not a big surprise, especially opener Driven. A jazzy song with a strong Adam & Eve vibe. Nice bass solos by Stieger halfway in the song.
The album harbours many different styles, ranging from jazz-fusions songs to more mellow songs. The first song that was written for this album was Balkan Bill & The Jets. Balkan music with Bodin getting his inspiration from music from the series Babylon Berlin. Inspiration has also come from a more exotic place in the track Bombay Boys. That's two songs with regional influences and danceable rhythms, even though progheads cannot dance of course! For some groovy jazz, check out More Champagne and A Havanna Cigar. Two songs with a lot going on and a lot of interesting elements to sink your teeth in.
Like I said, the album also has some slower mellow songs, starting with Hart Island. At first spin it does not have a lot going on, but somehow it grabbed me, it has a really nice vibe. Some of the melodies remind me a lot of the I AM album. A Stoner In Paris has a certain tension that reminds of a French noir detective film. And Marsh performs some very tasteful melodies on Northern Light, a really lovely soulful guitar sound.
The jazzy songs Don't You Worry and Die Nordsee are reminding me a little of Dutch band Focus. They stand out as being more experimental and with freaky trickery. Don't You Worry has a nice spot for bass player Stieger. Two Brothers has more Flower Kings vibes all over the place. But I have to say that I found more interesting stuff on Elixir than on the previous two Flower Kings albums.
With Elixir The Master's Brew are really putting themselves on the prog-rock map. A lengthy instrumental album, filled with interesting prog by four very talented musicians who are showing their craftsmanship with, evidently and most importantly, good chemistry between them. Nice for an album called Elixir by a band called The Master's Brew! Highly recommended album and another one for best of 2024 list.
Trigon — Cosmic Kraut Jam
Trigon are a German band playing under the very wide banner of psychedelic rock, who already released their first album in 1990. Trigon have been covered here on DPRP with their Live 2007 DVD, the 2011 album, and their previous album 30 Jahrle Traumzeit. So on the one hand it's strange I had not heard their music until now. On the other hand, the psychedelic genre has so many bands I am sure I have only just begun diving in a little bit deeper.
The line-up has the steady factor of brothers Rainer Lange on guitar and Stefan Lange on bass. There have been several drummers through the years, but currently it's Rudi Metzler (formerly of Poseidon, who released an album in 1975).
The cover tells me some generative AI has been used. For music like this it is relatively easy to create something, but the fact that AIs cannot write and have big problems with eyes (the cover does now show human hands, fortunately), the colours, gradients, and edges are very typical of Dall-E. I am sure some up-and-coming graphical artist would be very appreciative to do a proper psychedelic album cover.
With a line-up of guitar / bass / drums, you can still cover a wide range of psychedelic music, from hippy pop, to slow sludge/doom, to high-paced psych metal. There's already a dose of psych in Krautrock, so that is not a strange overlap. A more unusual element¸ at least ot me, is when psychedelic music gravitates towards jazz, but that is where Trigon can be found.
There is a lot of improvisation going on, naturally, as you probably would have guessed from the track durations. There are many places where you will find references to Cream in the bluesy parts, or even Mahavishnu Orchestra in the more intense parts. There are more than a few moments where I am reminded of Jimi Hendrix. The jazzy parts make me thing of Swedish bands Pocket Size (reviews here and here) and Khadavra (reviews here and here).
The mix and mastering was done by Eroc. Reading that before I even heard a thing was at least assuring excellent recording quality of course.
Opening with a side-long track is bold, but the music is all instrumental and when listening to this type of instrumental psychedelic rock, you are probably more interested in the trip itself than what the different parts of the vehicle are called. This is supposed to be inhaled completely. While the first track does not go into very heavy territories, the second track has a slow build-up to some real heavy rocking. The third is repeating some sections from the first while going from slower into heavier as well.
Although omnipresent, the flowing bass is most prominent on the last track. A dynamic track where the rhythm section is leading the tempo and loudness of the jam. Against my own advise, I was paying attention to which track I was actually listening to a few times, and it appeared to be this last track that I liked best. Very fitting having this at the end of a listening session. Long jams can become tedious to listen to if some magic is lacking. But here the magic is working very well. This has been an awesome trip, and I am already booking my next trip on the same spaceship.