Issue 2025-021
Duo Review
CIRCU5 — Clockwork Tulpa
CIRCU5 (pronounced "circa five") is the brainchild of Steve Tilling, a multi-instrumentalist from Swindon/UK. As part of the title for the debut album for the band, he used the term "Tulpa", which, in Tibetan Buddhism, is "a materialized being or thought-form, typically in human form, that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration" (interesting what you can learn from writing prog-reviews). The long-time gap between the "solo debut" and the "band debut" reflects the ups and downs in realising the latter album and is also due to the challenges resulting from living with Long Covid that Steve faced.
Being interested in the phenomenon of psychopathy as such, Tilling's solo album developed the story of "Grady", a psychopath having grown up in a secret organisation called CIRCU5 and now having to deal with the experiences made in his traumatic childhood. Conceptually, Clockwork Tulpa is a continuation of that story, but figuratively it is also about resilience, staying true to one's own plans and managing life's traumas. Hence, it shows some of Steve's autobiographical traits.
Whenever I listen to a new prog release for the first time, I ask myself whether, with respect to comparable bands, to pigeonhole it based upon the first impression (which often, but not always, is the most important one) or to form my opinion based upon more intensive listening. Concerning Clockwork Tulpa, I led myself guide by this first impression. Especially with respect to the guitar playing, CIRCU5 immediately reminded me of bands which I tend not to classify as prog: imagine The Offspring, Papa Roach, Guano Apes, Linking Park, and Billy Talent using more varied and melodic vocal harmonies (agreed, there is a bit of Porcupine Tree, The Pineapple Thief and The Police, too). This first impression remained even after repetitive listening.
Indeed, the main characteristics of Clockwork Tulpa's music are a strong emphasis of varied, virtuoso, crisp guitar riffing (almost constantly without any reverb) and a distinct vocal orientation. Searching for an appropriate description, I came up with "effectiveness". Perhaps a rather neutral and unusual term in connection with music but let me explain. I consider it effective when a band does not need a 10 min+ song to display their technical and musical abilities, but manages to include the same degree of complexity, virtuosity and variety in a song lasting just 4 minutes. Every note in there seems to be right where it belongs, nothing is redundant. Changes of tempo and mood occur at short intervals, small details (an unexpected riff here, a change from acoustic to electric there, rhythmic breaks, syncopation) take place within the very songs.
All this does not come at the expense of l'art-pour-l'art and gallery play, because the songs remain accessible with recognisable structures. Take Sing Now as the best example of that. Okay, maybe except my favourite song Skin Machine, the music is too direct, aggressive (in a positive way), intense, and textured to be considered as catchy, and earworm-like. It is therefore not so much for the emotional side, but more for the intellect (and rhythm-oriented listeners). The musicianship is excellent, as is the interplay of the instruments. Whilst keyboards only play a minor role, drums and especially the Chris Squire-sounding bass guitar very often come into their own.
In terms of design, the album comes in a high-quality digipack CD with a booklet full of beautiful artwork by Jennie Anderson.
For me, Clockwork Tulpa is another good example of three things. First, that it pays off to adopt a rather generous interpretation of what counts as "progressive rock". This release bears some prog elements but puts an emphasis on "rock" rather than on "progressive", and is not too far away from punk at times. Second, that one may like an album even though it differs substantially from one's personally preferred musical style. And third, that haste makes waste. It requires repetitive listening of this album do discover its subtleties and to fully appreciate it.
Recommended to fans of well-arranged and well-played, guitar-driven music with strong vocal harmonies, dense and compact songwriting, and little twists and turns within each song. I can imagine that CIRCU5 would also be a strong live act, even if it might not be that easy to bring the vocal challenges and the musical variety to the stage as a trio. From what I understood from an interview with Steve Tilling, that is exactly why the band currently is looking for additional musicians (keyboarder, vocalist, guitarist). Let's hope that the recruitment process is successful.
In our current cultural context where the old certainties are crumbling away, it may appear tempting to retreat from the pervasive anxiety into the comfort and safety of an echo chamber, cocooned in the sense of belonging to the "us". Social media have fuelled social and political fragmentation, stifling rational debate and serious engagement with opposing views in favour of tribalism, whereby those who shout loudest exult in the smug glow of triumph. Those whom we elected to govern us have access to intrusive surveillance technologies of mind-boggling power and on a scale unprecedented in human history, allowing them to peer beneath the metaphorical sheets and render the concept of privacy meaningless (and we actively collude in this through putting every aspect of our lives on public display) in pursuit of the illusion of total control. Our rapacious employers emulate them, demanding an (unreciprocated) loyalty that extends to internalising their corporate "core values", colonising our minds in exchange for a mess of pottage. Little wonder then that the general malaise and darkness which surrounds us should find expression in contemporary art, including prog.
In 2017, founding member of CIRCU5 Steve Tilling delved into sinister tropes reminiscent of IQ's Subterranea and with shades of MK Ultra, involving hapless experimental subjects manipulated from birth by omnipotent figures, ever present yet only half-glimpsed in the shadows. The debut album introduced us to the nefarious CIRCU5 organisation and the central character Grady who succeeds in wresting himself from their clutches. Clockwork Tulpa picks up Grady's story and Steve (lead vocals, electric and acoustic guitars and keyboards) is joined by Mark Kilminster (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Lee Moulding (drums, percussion, backing vocals) marking CIRCU5's spectacular metamorphosis into a full band.
The narrative opens with Grady waking up to be greeted by a female voice. A rogue CIRCU5 Freaks splinter group welcome him into their midst, and we learn of their escape from their imprisonment, boarding the Freakshow Train to freedom. After suffering a horrific car crash, Grady is nursed back to health by Daisy and her twin sister Violet, leaders of the rogue group, whose care comes at a cost, as they endeavour to indoctrinate him into taking over as its figurehead. This raises an interesting moral dilemma: in order to benefit from Grady's skills and liquidate their tormentors, they must subjugate him, with recourse to similar methods and practices to those employed by CIRCU5 itself. The seductive nature of cult membership is laid bare, together with its hidden price: the craved acceptance and belonging is not freely given, but is contingent upon adhesion to a single version of the truth, unswerving loyalty and devotion, and the willing sacrifice of rational thought. This is where the concept of "tulpa" becomes relevant. In Steve's words, it is "an esoteric term referring to a "thought form": an entity that manifests through intense spiritual concentration and meditation. In the song, it's a metaphor for the group shaping Grady's new identity".
The powerful lyrics are richly evocative and immersive, engaging all the senses. One example, from Change The Weather, will suffice to illustrate this:
Cornered animal,
a wounded creature
crawling out of the shadows
dragging entrails
its liver divining our fortunes
cold umbilical, a tangled omen
One of the most fascinating aspects is that the lyrics do not present the storyline in a straightforward, conventional way, nevertheless allowing the listener to intuit events. This enhances rather than detracts from the overall experience, as each song can be enjoyed on its own terms by those unfamiliar with the previous album. The accompanying booklet contains notes helpfully fleshing out the detail.
This is not the only respect in which the album gloriously confounds expectations. Given its serious and deeply philosophical subject (I am the first to admit I had no clue what a tulpa was: prog is always a learning experience!), the knee-jerk reaction might be to dismiss it as pretentious or perhaps overly bleak and doom-laden. Quite the contrary, it never becomes entangled in its own (manifest) virtuosity, but is beautifully understated, pared down both in length and instrumentation (yet far from austere), stunningly and exuberantly melodic. It also has moments of subtle humour: Violet concludes with a direct reference to Daisy, Daisy musically, adapted to a more suitably and wryly macabre:
And you'll look sweet
upon a seat
of a skeleton made for two
Meticulously crafted and executed with consummate skill, it opens with an ominous peal of thunder and a muted trumpet, seagulls' cries and waves breaking on the shore before surging forward like a thoroughbred released from the starting gate. Throughout, for example in the dampened vocals at the beginning of Skin Machine, there are traces of Frost* (most notably Falling Satellites) and of Kite Parade (particularly in Don't Spare Me).
My favourite track is Scars, which brings the narrative full circle, as reflected in the repetition of the thunder, seagulls and sound of waves. Profoundly melancholy in exactly the way I love most, the exquisite trumpet and guitar solos, and ethereal vocal harmonies are utterly sublime, pure goosebumps territory. It encapsulates the experience of the album as a whole: you can feel the electricity in the air before the storm breaks, tingling in your brain and on your skin, the oppressive humidity gently lifting and dissipating as the petrichor and smell of freshly cut summer lawns soothingly envelop you, suffusing you with a benign calm.
I also admire CIRCU5 for refusing to compromise by ensuring that the album is only available in physical format, although each CD contains a code granting unlimited streaming access via Bandcamp. This is a courageous stance and I can only applaud them for it.
In short, Clockwork Tulpa is the perfect antidote to the unimaginative and ill-informed claims that prog is outmoded, bloated, pompously excessive in conception, self-indulgent, irrelevant and best left to gather dust on an obscure shelf in musical history. It is also a brilliant allegory for our times, in which our rulers strive to exact complete obedience, conformity and fealty from us in exchange for security (whether financial or in defending us against perceived external threats), frowning upon critical thought and doing their utmost to deprive us of even the capacity for it (with the aim of eradicating even the hypothetical possibility of challenging their authority), reducing us to automatons meekly accepting of the drudgery imposed upon us, or simulacra of our authentic selves, capable only of serving their interests to the detriment of our own. Although as an anti-hero, ruthlessly conditioned to follow orders, Grady can hardly serve as a role model. However, his resilience and survival against the odds are positive traits. Ultimately, as Steve explains: "It's a reflection on how people navigate the trauma of tough childhoods without falling prey to isolating belief systems".
Fish Basket — Fish Basket And His Second Album
Polish instrumental trio Fish Basket have released their second album, helpfully entitled, Fish Basket And His Second Album. Piotr Wicher (guitars, synths), Oskar Gross (bass) and Rafał Weinert (drums, percussion) are a new discovery for me and for DPRP.net. Fish Basket produce music that is a melodically entwined mash up of psyche rock and space rock.
I think that the best description of the music on this album is intricate. Guitar lines weave in and out as the melodies develop, ably supported by funky bass lines and percolating drumming. All encased with a sense of fun, but don't think that means that this is in any way light-weight. It just stays away from the overly dark places or shines so much light that the shadows shrink.
The opening track NA-HU-HA-NE sets the scene for the rest of the ...Second Album. Bright guitars circle over synth washes, with Eastern tinges echoing Øresund Space Collective or Hidera Spacefolk. The music evolves into a heavy section where the volume goes up and riffs abound. It then quietens to a wordless vocal line (Agnieszka Lipka), chiming djembe (Sylwan Tymoteusz) underpins the voice before a chanted section, tribal shouting according to the band, from Krzysztof Perek and Maciej Wiewiór arrives. It even finds time to put in a few bars of surf rock. A beguiling and evocative opener with flamboyant and rich melodies.
The ...Second Album carries on this vein but with many variations and structural differences. Stray In Chill more acoustic work and ethereal slide guitar in its gentle psyche. Snaking joyous heavy psyche powers Robots along, until it just suddenly stops with the music wholly replaced by the music of birdsong. Jazzy touches don't seem out of context on the early section of Farewells And Returns before turning into a grinding space rock groove.
So Fish Basket's Fish Basket And His Second Album was a delightful discovery for me. Never a wasted moment on it. Consistently surprising psyche-space rock, with loads of 'Oh yeah' moments. In a single word — uplifting.
Rudz & Wolski — Enchanted Lighthouse
Prolific, with thirty albums currently listed on his Bandcamp page, electronic musician Przemysław Rudź (synthesizers, keys) is again working alongside Artur Wolski (bass, guitars) from the bands Obrasqi and Oudeziel (See a review of their self-titled debut here).
This new album will be the second collaboration between these two musicians. The previous release being 2024's Pomeranian Wind favourably reviewed by my colleague Jan.
Having heard only one other track by Przemysław Rudź, his excellent contribution to Commentarii Lunares: In Memorium Of Jerzy Żuławski, I was intrigued to see what a full album would be like.
This full album Enchanted Lighthouse was not a disappointment. Full to bursting with Rudź's densely layered, melodic atmospheres, assisted the acoustic and electric guitar lines of Wolski plus his great bass work.
The album starts with the psyche blues guitar of Neverending Trip supported by Rudź's organ and synth playing. This should have been the sort of track that Gordon Giltrap & Oliver Wakeman's Ravens & Lullabies should have contained.
The tracks then get increasingly electronic prog as the album continues. Boundless slowly driven by the pulsing bassline mixes goose bumpy synth landscapes with delicate guitar, picking up pace gradually and becoming an electro-acoustic second cousin of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir. Yes, that good.
Hand percussion and picked electric guitar prevents any ambient drift on the shimmering Guiding Star. Now with a track called Perpetual Drift one might think that ambient noodling would be on the cards but the smart arrangement keeps the ear engaged. The lengthy closing track, Chasing The Elusive, does have some darkly evocative ambience to it, lightened by Wolski's guitar interjections. After ten minutes or so the track takes a sharp left turn into techno meets Tangerine Dream of energized whirling synths.
Rudz & Wolski's Enchanted Lighthouse has turned out to be one of the better instrumental albums of its kind that I have had the pleasurable listening experience. Well worth investigating.
Sailor Free — Spiritual Revolution - Part Three
Sailor Free were formed in 1991 already, releasing two albums in 1992 and 1994, before going on a hiatus until the year 2010. Since their foundation, the band consist of David Petrosino (vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, bass), Stefano "The Hook" Barelli (guitar, backing vocals), Stefano Tony (percussions, backing vocals), and Alphonso Nini (bass guitar) — what a proof of consistency! Their refreshed activity after 2010 resulted in the creation of the Spiritual Revolution-trilogy, with Part One having come out in 2012, and Part Two in 2016. On Part Three, in addition to this line-up, the band resort on the input of altogether seven guest musicians on drums, bass, backing vocals, saxophone and tammarro (a traditional percussion instrument from Southern Italy).
As explained on the band's (informative) website, "The three chapters create a body for the theory of the Spiritual Revolution People, an artistic and cultural action group born from the network, fighting for a profound cultural and spiritual revolution, against a system that is deliberately trying to stop our spiritual growth as well as our knowledge and consciousness."
Dear folks from Sailor Free, please don't hold it against me that I did not really understand that concept, especially the four phases of Spiritual Revolution mentioned on your website. Hence, let me focus on something that is more tangible for me: the music on this album.
In that respect, one thing became clear right after listening to it the first time: I did not get what I had expected. The band can't be blamed for that, I simply made the wrong assumption that prog from Italy (always) means RPI. I should have known better, but I'm probably classically conditioned when it comes to Italian prog. I have to say that I selected this release only based upon a description and my a.m. assumption. A "blind date", so to speak.
Sailor Free's music has nothing to do with RPI. It is a congenial blend of heavy prog (the most distinct factor, in my opinion), psychedelic and art rock, as well as post prog plus snippets of ambient. This results in the music coming across varied and full of contrasts, and this not only when comparing the tracks with each other, but also within the individual pieces of music themselves. Let me list a few contrasting characteristics of the songs on this album, which are of course subjective in their interpretation: vigorous and delicate, heavy and meditative, outspoken and contemplative, spacy and tense, distorted and hypnotic, reserved and accessible. However, I feel that the last element, the accessibility (indeed a very subjective matter), is something that reveals itself only very gradually to one's ears. That means, on the one hand, that Spiritual Revolution Part Three needs repetitive and intensive listening before being fully appreciated, and, on the other, that the tracks sounding the catchiest, All I Need, and Disappear, are my favourite ones on this album.
A characteristic that runs through the entire album is David Petrosino's warm and mellow voice providing a perfect fit with both softer and harder parts of the music. Additionally, every song sounds dense and compact, avoiding undue complexity and technical elaborations, but then sometimes lacking an arc of suspense. And, also not a common occurrence, the entire album manages almost without any soloing: the only guitar solos take place in tracks eight and nine, and keyboard solos are not evident at all. Not unexpectedly, crisp guitar riffs take centre stage in the heavier passages, while subtle keyboards set the tone for the more delicate sounding parts.
As already mentioned in the reviews of Part One and Part Two of this trilogy, Steven Wilson, and Porcupine Tree can be regarded as the most significant sources of inspiration for Sailor Free's music. But fans of OSI, Riverside, Anathema, Tool (for the heavier parts), Nosound (for the ambient ones), The Pineapple Thief, Bruce Soord, and even Kingcrow (although they are a bit more complex) as well might feel addressed by Sailor Free's music to varying degrees.
Doing this review certainly was positive for my learning curve concerning prog rock from Italy, as it broadened my somewhat narrow horizon in this respect. I concluded that I clearly prefer the generic RPI musical sub-genre with respect to Italian prog, though. However, this does not stop me from recommending this release to prog rock fans with an affinity for atmospheric, densely composed music, rich in contrast. As for my relationship to Sailor Free's music: after a blind date, one may fall in love, one agrees not to meet again, or one decides to "remain just friends". I opted for the latter.
Glenn C. Victor — Time Flies By Faster...
Self-produced, one-man musical projects may be widely regarded as necessary evil of prog scene. In all honesty, to some justified reasoning. One could easily get lost in the plethora of DYI-music of dubious quality and creative skills. But there is a good reason for keeping the super-underground scene flourish — gems that could rise to the surface and actually evolve into something even more refined. Time Flies By Faster by a Belgian musician Glenn C. Victor is among such releases, and, hitting the play button and not expecting anything remotely fascinating, I was honestly surprised in a good way.
First, and quite important, the 32-min instrumental release plainly rocks. It possesses a fine aggressive-progressive approach, taking a listener to a bouncy ride. Second, it features notable performance skills and thorough compositions. How could a proghead possibly ask for more? The opener Weird Pulsar, with its complex rhythms, untraditional scales, attacking bass and atonal late-Crimzoid guitar, proudly affirms that the record belongs on the same CD shelf with the likes of Djam Karet, Herd of Instinct and Nebelnest.
The following Old Clock Ballad and Sounds Worn Out ease the tension with spacey improvisation, while maintaining the steady pulse at the same time – sounding like Ozric Tentacles awakened from their nirvana-like dream and trying to figure out which galaxy they belong to. Stepped Gable Waltz is waltz-y indeed, but again rather hard-rocking, making me think of the likes of The Aristocrats - trio with their similar fondness of musical jokes. The closing Minor Tune is acoustic, somewhat bluesy and atmospheric, with beautifully crafted overlaid guitars.
There's little open source information to be found about Glenn, apart from the fact that he's based in Ghent, and Time Flies By Faster is his second full-scale release. The more surprising, as compared to the low profile he keeps, is the firm, confident level of his performance, everything done on his own including drums, programming and production, with very little showing-off and at the same time allowing the music to flow in unconventional ways.
If prog for you is not about complexity or grand forms, but about freedom of expression, then it is a notable release, even if modest in terms of promotion.