BLOTTED SCIENCE – “Vermicular Asphixiation” video posted

October 31, 2011 – Acclaimed progressive extreme metal all-stars BLOTTED SCIENCE - featuring guitarist/mastermind Ron Jarzombek (WATCHTOWER, TERRESTRIAL EXILED, SPASTIC INK), bassist Alex Webster (CANNIBAL CORPSE, HATE ETERNAL), and drummer Hannes Grossmann (OBSCURA, TERRESTRIAL EXILED) – have posted the ‘Vermicular Asphixiation’ visual companion piece, the second in a series of four videos in conjuction with their newly released “The Animation Of Entomology” EP.

Commented Ron Jarzombek: “OK, all you ghouls and goblins out there – here is our little contribution to the Halloween festivities. No giant spiders and nasty worms battling heroic humans in a primordial pit of death this time around, just a clandestine home invasion of the slitherin’ kind.  If you decide to stay in from the trick or treating tonight, be sure to lock your windows and shut your mouth. You never know what may be trying to get in.”

he folllow-up to the band’s highly acclaimed 2007 “The Machinations Of Dementia” full-length album was produced and mixed by Ron Jarzombek and recorded in San Antonio, Texas; Tampa, Florida; and V. Santura’s (OBSCURA, TRIPTYKON) Woodshed Studios in Landshut, Germany where the drums were cut. Mastering duties were once again handled by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, DESTRUCTION) at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark.

Released on Jarzombek’s EclecticElectric label in most territories, “The Animation Of Entomology” will get a European release through UK-based Basick Records on November 28.  Commented Ron Jarzombek: “I’m really excited to be partnering with Barley and the Basick Records crew on the new BLOTTED SCIENCE record, ‘The Animation of Entomology’. They are a young, exciting company on the cutting edge, whose roster is very much compatible with what BLOTTED SCIENCE is all about, so I feel like this will be a great home for us. Feeding ‘The Animation Of Entomology’ into their distribution channels should noticeably improve our retail visibility and availability compared to ‘The Machinations Of Dementia’. I’m looking forward to working with Basick and maximizing our potential to the fullest in Europe!”

Added Basick label owner Barley: “Having been a huge admirer of Ron’s output for a number of years, it gives me great pleasure to welcome BLOTTED SCIENCE to the family! I can’t wait to get this record out to all our dedicated fans in Europe!“

Check the video below.

Ske – 1000 Autunni

1000 Autunni is the first solo album by keyboard maestro Paolo Ske Botta, a name familiar to me from French TV’s This Is What We Do, and latterly as a member of Italian avant-proggers Yugen.

What we have here is another gem from Italy’s Fading Records that delivers a difficult but engaging album drawing on a wide range of influences ranging from chamber music, Gentle Giant, Henry Cow, Hatfield And The North, National Health, and a smattering of classic symphonic prog as well as jazz and modern classical.

Paolo is a collector of vintage keyboards, many of which are used on this album to great effect, all lovingly noted in the tastefully designed booklet. Each track gives a complete listing of all the instruments used as well as the keyboards, showing that this album was most certainly a labour of love.

The Hatfield’s influence is felt with the vocalisings of Roberta Pagani, very much in vein of The Northettes, when she makes her appearances on Carta E Burro (Paper And  Butter), Delta, and La Nefazia Di Multatuli. A very good example of voice used as instrument, an art that is difficult to master.

Denti (Teeth) is suitably feisty but never edgy, and Scrupoli, introduced with a Dave Stewart style organ swell, leaps about like a court jester, and has a strong Egg influence, no bad thing in my book. Delta offers a moment of reflection with some nice synth work lulling the listener before the first of the three part Scogli (Rocks), which is separated by other songs, but if you program your CD player to play them in succession, a strong Gentle Giant influence abounds, as well as drawing on modern classical music. That is not to say that this album is derivative, as it creates its own distinctive sound while wearing its influences with pride. Mummia sounds as cinematic and Gothic as it should, and things are rounded off with Rassegnati in an almost classic Italian prog style leaning towards Picchio dal Pozzo.

1000 Autunni is a complex and esoteric piece of music making that shows Paolo’s skill as a composer and arranger as well as highlighting his abilities on numerous keyboards. The juxtaposition of gentle acoustic instrumentation (see below) with the array of Paolo’s keyboards and electronica, and Francesco’s guitars, is always interesting and engaging. The intricate rhythms are embellished with many percussion instruments that are underpinned by the subtle playing of Pierre (bass) and Mattia (drums), and this produces a whole listening experience in itself. By my fourth or fifth listen I found myself following just the rhythm section on some songs, beguiled by the subtle intricate complexity on show.

Paolo’s other fellow musicians are all top notch players too, and the ensemble playing throughout the album is exceptional. An album for those who like their music to be demanding, this a very rewarding and satisfying listening experience, and cannot be used as background music. In an age where the need for ambience sometimes takes precedence and music is often relegated to a secondary rather than primary experience, it is refreshing to put on an album that requires, no, demands that you give it your full attention. A bit like a three course meal at a very good restaurant, by the end you will be sated but not over-fed! Definitely best listened to in the company of a decent bottle of red wine, 1000 Autunni is yet another high quality release in 2011. Oh, and the cover and booklet artwork is lovely by the way.

Highly recommended!

Tracklist:

Fraguglie (6:05)
Denti (5:10)
Carta E Burro (4:57)
Scrupoli (4:12)
Delta (5:05)
Scogli1 (2:12)
Sotto Sotto (5:35)
Mummia (5:23)
Scogli 2 (2:33)
La Nefazia Di Multatuli (6:29)
Scogli 3 (1:30)
Rassegnati (7:08)

Line-up:

Paolo Ske Botta – Keyboards, synths
Fabio Ciro Ceriani – Sansula, percussion
Valerio Cipollone – Clarinets, saxophones
Enrica Di Bastione – Harp
Maurizio Fasoli – Piano
Elia Leon Mariani – Violin
Nicolas Nickolopoulos – Flute
Giuseppe Jos Olivini – Theremin, percussion, effects
Roberta Pagani – Voice
Valerio Neth Raina – Voice
Mattia Signò – Drums
Markus Strauss – Saxophone
Fabrice Toussaint – Idiophones, trombone, perscussion
Pierre Wawrzyniak – Bass
Francesco Zago – Guitars

Listen to streaming on myspace. The whole album is currently on streaming at www.progstreaming.com (scroll to bottom of page) but this may not be for long.

Jaime Rosas – Flashback

Jaime Rosas is a very talented keyboardist from Chile who gained quite good reputation while playing in progressive metal band – Entrance. However not too many people know that he also recorded few solo albums (sometimes under Jaime Rosas Trio or Jaime Rosas Cuarteto moniker) where he showed completely different face – symphonic prog “wizard”. While first 2 albums of this artist – “Virgo” and “Extremos”, where a bit too modern, electronic sounding for me, Jaime turned into more retro-prog direction from his 3rd studio output – “Creciendo” and even more bombastic, concert recording – “Viajero Astral – Live in Brazil”. However those last two albums were more in the vain of Japanese bands like Gerard or Ars Nova which mix razor-sharp organ riffs with modern, digital synthesizers, the new born “child” of Rosas called “Flashback” sounds even more faithful to ELP style of prog thanks to similar approach to the music and devotion to good, old Hammond organ all the way through (compared with previous stuff Jaime rarely uses synthesizers on “Flashback”). And as an ELP – and in general Hammond-driven prog – fan I have to admit that I love this album!

So let’s check all 6 tracks included on this disk:

1. “Primera luz” – album begins with definitely the strongest composition – 20 minutes long suite called “Primera luz”. This track is a really orgy of mindblowing Hammond organ solos & other ultra-fast passages played in absolutely virtuosic manner. Overall style and those percussion organ effects makes it like XXI century version of ELP’s “Tarkus” but treating it like a simple copy would be very unjust for Rosas as he also managed to mix many other influences as in few slower fragments we can also hear some Rick Wakeman inspired synthesizer moments and in many ways “Primera luz” was also clearly influenced by another South American group – “Nexus”.
As I mentioned, hard-hitting organ is a dominant instrument here but synthesizers (often Moog-like sounding, but I think all gear of Rosas is in fact digital, I’m not sure) and piano surely aren’t absent too, so in general it’s a real prog heaven for such keyboards-driven music aficionados like me.
I’d like to add that just like “Tarkus”, this epic is mostly instrumental but in the middle there are also a brief vocal sections of Jaime Scalpello (in Spanish language) which are quite nice and touching. I want to stress that drums and bass work are competent too, but Jaime’s pyrotechnics are so astonishing that you hardly think about other things than his keyboards.
In the end I need to point one more thing: ultra memorable section which begins from 15:20 minute. This overwhelming, almost Gothic-like Hammond melody is simply fantastic. I have goose bumps everytime I hear this grandiose part. It’s this kind of stuff I always loved in Par Lind Project’s (contemporary Swedish symphonic-prog band) music! Seems that if Jaime will manage to record more of such albums, he have a chance to replace Par Lindh’s position of the most talented prog-rock keyboardist in XXI century. Brilliant!

2. “El principio del ritmo” – another track let as catch a breath after restless keyboards extravaganza of “”Primera luz”. This time we can enjoy very sober, delicate smooth-jazz composition with simple instrumentation: acoustic piano  + relaxed sounding electric guitar. Nothing midblowing but it’s a good rest after first 20 minutes of “Flashback”. And surely it’s very original for this artist.

3. “Buenos momentos” – Jaime and his friends come back to bombastic style! This time Javier Sepulveda provides lots of heavy guitar riffs which blend perfectly with Rosas’ swirling organs. Electric guitar makes “Buenos momentos” sound a bit more like Entrance music, but thanks to dominating keyboards we’re still sure that it’s true symphonic style here (however mixed with heavy prog and prog-metal).
Once again I want to praise Jaime for his ear-shuttering Hammond sounds here, they truly cut the air like a hatchet! I think that he listened to Nexus music a lot before recording this composition, and Moti Sakuraba could be another strong influence here. By the way, Moog fragments are also amazing here!

4. “Lejos” – if I had to pick up the weakest track on “Flashback” it would be this one. It’s just a soft ballad with pre-dominant acoustic guitar, piano and discreet digital synthesizers in the background. Rodrigo Godoy’s voice is surely nice, but in general this song doesn’t bring me any emotions I’m afraid. Average.

5. “Memoria” – after slightly dull song called “Lejos”, comes much better instrumental “Memoria”. While first half sounds similar to Pink Floyd (Gilmour inspired guitar soloing of Ignacio Ruiz), in the middle we have a great Hammond solo in the vain of Rick Wakeman’s performance in “Close to the Edge”. After that guitar kick in again and smoothly lead as to the end of the song.

6. “Flashback” – the last composition seems to be an epic, but in fact it sounds more like a collage of different music ideas. Especially the beginning is quite mysterious and experimental in its nature. There are different famous melodies of 70s prog-rock giants played on Hammond organ (in one point you can even hear a brief part of Jon Lord’s organ solo from “Child in Time”!) which are buried under much louder soundscapes built by digital synthesizers. After that there is atmospheric, slow-tempo section with angelic-choir-like synth-background and “lazy” keyboard “plumping”. I’d say that it’s quite similar to J.M.Jarre’s or Vangelis’ progressive-electronic style. But from 5th minute composition picks up the tempo significantly and we enter grandiose fanfare-synthesizers created symphonic wall of sound, which is quickly followed by unbelievably dynamic organ soloing in the vain of the best moments of Keith Emerson! Track finishes with a couple of minutes of baroque-like symphonic prog a la Rick Wakeman, but in the end there is a very humorous oddity as we hear alarm clock and angry yell of suddenly awaken guy! Seems he just had a dream about good, old 70s prog-rock and some God-damned alarm woke him up .

In general, “Flashback” is a fantastic recording which is a must have for all fans of retro symphonic progressive rock music, rooted deeply in 70s. In fact, I have to admit that while this kind of style may be “an art just for art” for many people, for me it’s still a classic ‘cos I’m a big admirer of keyboards-led prog and nothing will change it! That’s why (so far…) 4th studio recording of Jaime Rosas immediately became by favorite album of this (2011) year. And I don’t care if elitists of modern music call it “regressive”…

There’s a long list of bands I can compare with Jaime Rosas, like: ELP, Trace, Triumvirat, Collegium Musicum, Sixty-Nine, The Nice, Duncan Mackay, Trikolon or Quill, and their modern “imitators” like Par Lindh Project, Nexus, Little Tragedies, Survival, Gerard, Ars Nova, Social Tension and early Combination Head.

Best tracks: “Primera luz” and “Buenos momentos”

Track List:

1. Primera luz (20:35)
2. El principio del ritmo (5:38)
3. Buenos momentos (6:08)
4. Lejos (5:01)
5. Memoria (6:31)
6. Flashback (10:31)

Line-up:

*Coke Cruz / drums
*Pato Martin / drums
*Jaime Scalpello / vocals
*Ricardo Henríquez / bass
*Javier Sepúlveda / guitars
*Nicolás Figueroa / guitars
*Ignacio Ruiz / guitars & bass
*Alejandro de la Cuadra / drums
*Rodrigo Godoy / vocals, guitars & bass
*Jaime Rosas / synthesizers, piano, Hammond & programming

Links:

http://jaimerosas.com/

www.myspace.com/jaimerosas

Buy album from:

Abrete Gandul – Enjambre Sísmico

From Chile, Abrete Gandul offer up a satisfying stew of styles on this, their third album. Enjambre Sísmico (Seismic Swarm). It lives up to its English translation, sounding at times like a jazz infused Anekdoten, or a Latin King Crimson, with helpings of Canterbury influence updated to the 21^st Century having spent the interim under Latino influence, and is one hugely enjoyable musical ride.

At an hour long the album has eight songs only two of which are under the seven minute mark. Such is the intricacy of the instrumentation that one’s attention is required all the time, but having said that it all flows together nicely, so the listening experience is never hard work, as can be the case with some more wilfully obtuse offerings.

Judging by the album titles and what I can understand with my limited Spanish from the story in the cover booklet, the album appears to be a journey through a natural disaster, with which being Chilean, the band are no doubt all too familiar.

The seven and a half minute Marejada (Surge) is a particular highlight, covering a gamut of stylistic influences, the math guitar reminiscent of Fripp, the warm ambient layers giving way to a laid back cool but never bland jazzy vibe. Each member is given the chance to shine, but no-one gets to show off unnecessarily, Consecuencia Natural (you don’t need me to translate that, surely?!) being a case in point where Antonio showcases a delicacy of touch while dancing round the beat, before the song morphs into a Levin/Gunn-like sequence followed by some great sax blowing, all the while the bass of Pedro subsonically shaking the floorboards. Rodrigo’s guitar shines on Colapso, his warm and fluid soloing leading into a heavier section backed by swathes of synths before Rodrigo re-enters on flute, the theme slowly returning and building to a redemptive crescendo and then ending suddenly. An enticing piece of music that puts me in mind of Mel Collins era Crimson, but with Wetton on bass.

Jamie’s keyboards take more of a textural role than a lead one, in much the same way that, say, Richard Barbieri does with Porcupine Tree. As with Richard, Jamie’s contribution is an essential part of the whole, and bothConvergencia Caótica and Intangible have some nice understated piano to demonstrate that he is a quality player. The latter builds on a cyclical piano riff, reflected by the bass and guitar at various tangents to create a slight dissonance that remains within the melody so never becomes jarring, while throughout Antonio holds down a no doubt difficult time signature, showcasing a group of players at the height of mutual understanding. Wonderful stuff!

Their Chilean/Spanish roots are to the fore on the closing track which starts like an off kilter flamenco, before a sax conjures up a smoky neo-Cuban jazz club feel, a lovely way to close the record.

Another contender for album of the year, in a year which has given us so much great music, this is a must for all fusion fans, lovers of heavier Canterbury sounds, Crimson, you get the picture.

Hear some streaming on myspace

Buy here from Fading Records

Tracklist:

Line-up:

Jamie Acuna – Keyboards
Pedro Santander – Bass, Effects
Antonio Arceu – Drums, Percussion
Rodrigo Maccioni – Guitars, Effects, Flute
Leo Aries – Saxophone

Zoffy – Picture At An Exhibition

What a hoot! Consider they should look down upon the masterpiece “Picture At An Exhibition”. Don’t make me laugh out loudly.

ZOFFY are a comical duo founded by two Acid Mothers Temple residents Makoto KAWABATA and Atsushi TSUYAMA. They’ve released some albums since 1998 and their newest album “Picture At An Exhibition” released in 2010 is a real parody of that masterpiece in progressive rock scene.

As honestly I say, very terrible and disgusting work. However, believe me this serious phrase is exactly applause for Makoto KAWABATA and Atsushi TSUYAMA, two mad music scientists. At first, what can you feel when you hear the title? I’m afraid you can think they’d played something like Picture At An Exhibition. No! No, no, no! I’ve got mad to death just since I listened to this album. Not only they made this renowned creation funny but also they played their original stuff (with a flood of silly explosions).

A bunch of joke and trivia they’ve shot and we can be knocked down completely. With spacey electronic misleading and somewhat acoustic comfortable guitar medication, the two crazy guys kick our a$$. Only mysterious flute sounds can get to be salvage for us. The last “Nutrocker” may be worthless for us to listen to. Absolutely understand a fan of real Picture At An Exhibition cannot understand at all. We should listen to this horrible album with readiness or resignation.

Let me say, I give this stuff 0 star hahhaha. Hell yeah!

Tracklist:

1. Pictures At An Exhibision Part 1 (18:58)
2. Pictures At An Exhibision Part 2 (14:25)
3. Nutrocker (4:00)

Total Time 37:23

Line-up:

* Makoto Kawabata – synthesizers, electric organ, houzouki, sitar, tambura, hurdy-gurdy, violin, slide guitar, darbuka, voices
* Atsushi Tsuyama – voices, acoustic guitar, soprano recorder

Links:

http://www.acidmothers.com/Cgi-bin/crew/B_zoffy/index_main.html

Fractale – Suranné

This is a short but wonderful EP that can be easily loved by any progressive rock fan.

And it is not common that I start with a phrase like that, actually I would finish my review with it, but this time I did it the other way around because I have truly enjoyed this album every single time I’ve listened to it, and believe me, there have been at least 10 so far. Fractale is the project of French sax player Julian Julien, who with the help of some friends and of course high-quality musicians have created a wonderful mixture of rock fusion with spacey textures.

This EP entitled “Suranné” consists of five live pieces which does not really have a name, and two bonus tracks. Actually, and it is worth mentioning, this is like a taste of Fractale’s sound, since Julien have created a bunch of songs that can (and should) be listened in a row, without any distraction, in order to have the feeling of being reading a book or watching a movie, I mean, the images created by the music are countless, all depends on the listener.

“Suranné” sadly is pretty short, I always have that empty space where I am asking for more, but as I said, this is only a taste of their sound, and what a taste! It opens with “Partie XV”, and since the fist seconds we will listen to that jazz oriented sound, with lots of wind instruments, percussion and synthesizers. The music is really friendly; it will put a smile on you, and surely will make you move your body. I cannot help but enjoying it.

“Partie VI” has a slower rhythm, but it is full of atmospheres and spacey effects that in moments remind me of Daevid Allen’s Gong. This also sounds like an improvisation, and it is the shortest piece of the album. “Partie V” is wonderful, with a rich blend of winds and electronic elements that together create new images, atmospheres and nuances. The different trumpets and saxophones do not really sound jammed, them all sound clean and clear, one can easily recognize each one of them. This is one of my favorite tracks!

With “Partie XVI” the band follows the same line, but this time they have quite an addictive sound. The name of Gong springs to my mind once again, which does not mean I am comparing them, not at all, but they might have been an influence. You will have four minutes of addiction, of craziness and adventure, but the sad thing is that it all of a sudden finishes, when you are totally caught by its sound.

The concert part finishes with “Partie XVIII” which is another cool song, but with a slower and more melancholic sound, like announcing the end. I would have really loved to hear more of this bunch of live parts, it would be a complete trip.

The last two additional songs are “Sans Papiers” and “Clementine” which together make the final ten minutes of this EP. The road is practically the same, cool and addictive rhythms, excellent blend of jazz with space and electronic elements; wonderful winds and constant drums.

What a pity it ends so soon, but well, the only thing I can do is waiting for a full-length release and why not, to see them live someday. Highly recommendable!

Enjoy it!

Tracklist:

1. Partie XV  (2:57) *
2. Partie VI (2:04) *
3. Partie V (5:09) *
4. Partie XVI (4:31) *
5. Partie XVIII (2:45) *
6. Sans papiers live at the Sunset (Bonus Track)  (4:32) +
7. Clémentine (Bonus Track) (5:22) +

Line-up:

- Julian Julien / alto sax
- Vivien Philippot / tenor sax
- Patrice Cazeneuve / trompet
- Jennifer Quillet / trompet
- Jon Lopez de Vicuna / electric sax
- Lorenz Steinmueller, electric tube
- Benjamin Vairon / drums

- Michael Havard / soprano sax
- Yann Lupu / trompet
- Laurent Dessaints / electric sax
- Xavier Sibre / clarinet
- François Favreau / drums

Hammers of Misfortune – 17th Street

So far I’ve listened to 2 albums recorded by this formation “The Locust Years” and “Fields / Church of Broken Glass “. Both of them were filled with interesting prog-metal with surprisingly important role of Hammond organ played by female keyboardist Sigrid Sheie.
Formation’s 5th CD called “17th Street” it’s a continuation of this trend. While I noticed that organ started to play a slightly smaller role in the music, my overall reception of this record is even better than previous stuff of Hammers of Misfortune. I just realized that after few listenings I already remember some of the melodies included here. Maybe for die-hard prog-metal aficionados it’s not so important, but for such symphonic prog-rock fan like me captivating melodies are as much important as technical proficiency of musicians.

Anyway the latest “child” of Hammers of Misfortune includes 9 entertaining songs bordering between prog-metal and heavy prog genres:

1. “317″ – album kick off with powerful guitar and organ riffing in this mysteriously named track. In fact I thought it will be an instrumental composition but near the end pompous, symphonic metal vocals appear. Overall it’s a real introducing punch in listener’s face.

2. “17th Street” – while previous track was more in Ayreon valley, this one has more in common with “traditional” progressive metal style, so lovers of Dream Theater and Symphony X should dig it (however vocals here are much lower than high-registered “shrieks” of James LaBrie). Anyway it’s a rather good, fast-paced and aggressive, but not groundbreaking song.

3. “The Grain” – it’s definitely the core of the album! Fantastic song, really. While it doesn’t have any spectacular solos or new ideas, it has one of the most catchy melodies I’ve heard in prog-metal world. It’s a simple and in the same time amazing composition.

4. “Staring (The 31st Floor)” – definitely the weakest song on the album. Very tiresome and bland. Lots of ultra heavy guitar layers and doom-like vocals. Almost no keyboards at all too. Waste of space on the disk…

5. “The Day the City Died” – and he’s my number two after “The Grain”. Another phenomenal song, very enjoyable in its simplicity. Very groovy rhythm, amazingly memorable refrain and splendid organ/acoustic piano layers. I also love that guitar here is much more in hard rock vain than metal style. To be honest “The Day the City Died” reminds me of Ozzy Osbourne’s material from 80s.

6. “Romance Valley” – speedy power-metal song with breathtaking electric guitar riffing and organ filling out the space. Not horribly memorable but good enough to be used as a “nice” headbanger . While listening to this song I think about Japanese band Sigh and their “Gallows Pole” album.

7. “Summer Tears” – surprisingly soft song driven by classical-influenced acoustic piano (yeah, Sigrid Sheie not only blasts our ears with organ but she also can play beautiful piano passages!) and melodic vocals. And those classic-rock sounding guitar solo, ehhh…You will be shocked if you expected another stomping metal, but for me it’s a great song.

8. “Grey Wednesday” – Doom metal organ blasts as from the beginning of the song, but after about 1 minute Hammers of Misfortune comes back to prog/power metal territory. Lots of crunching guitars and dirty Hammond chops make is another decent track.

9. “Going Somewhere” – and here comes an epic. It was inevitable that we will have some epics on progressive metal/rock album. Unfortunately it’s not so exciting as I wished it to be. A bit too repetitive and restless rhythm doesn’t let me enjoy this piece so much. However I don’t say it’s bad ‘cos there are still many good moments, especially some speedy guitar/organ marathons.

In general I’d recommend latest album of Hammers of Misfortune to people who like progressive metal but look for something more than 10+ minutes electric guitar solos where you can hear more dazzling sounds in one second than you can even comprehend… I would say that prog-metal style presented on this album is more sophisticated and casual listener friendly.

If you prefer your prog-metal more diverse and retro-prog rooted like this, I’d also recommend you to check such formations: Ayreon, Sigh, Death Organ, Solefald or Ansur. But I think that fanboys of Dream Theater and Symphony X may also find music on “17th Street” interesting.

Best tracks:  “The Grain” & “The Day the City Died”

Track List:

1. 317 (3:39)
2. 17th Street (4:41)
3. The Grain (7:14)
4. Staring (The 31st Floor) (3:47)
5. The Day the City Died (4:30)
6. Romance Valley (5:19)
7. Summer Tears (6:37)
8. Grey Wednesday (3:58)
9. Going Somewhere (10:05)

Line-up:

*John Cobbett / guitar
*Chewy Marzolo / drums
*Sigrid Sheie / organ, piano, vocals, flute
*Leila Abdul-Rauf / guitar, vocals
*Joe Hutton / vocals
*Max Barnett / bass

Links:

http://www.myspace.com/hammersofmisfortune

http://www.hammersofmisfortune.com/

Buy album from:

The development of Slovenian progressive rock, part 1

Not many people are aware of the progressive rock scene from Slovenia. Admittedly, the scene is quite small, but there are several albums which can hold their own quite well against any so-called world class records. The specific elements typical of Slovenian progressive rock are: heavy emphasis on jazz rock, often an added element of folk, a willingness to experiment, many hard rock elements in certain bands, a more positive oriented sound, hardly any symphonic bands, no space rock in the 1970s and 1980s and no electronic progressive music to speak of.

HEAVY PROGRESSIVE

Slovenian musicians were also favourable towards the heavier side of things, which can clearly be seen even in arguably the only Slovenian avant-garde band to come out of the 1970s, Buldožer, and Oko.

Buldožer – Pljuni istini u oči (1975)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)

Although many credit Buldožer with being the first Slovenian avant-garde rock band, Buldožer played mostly hard progressive rock with a touch of humour in the Frank Zappa style (that’s where their title probably came from), but they didn’t incorporate that many disonnant and unorthodox ideas into their music to be really avant-garde.

Oko – Razkorak (1976)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)

Although the album features mostly hard rock, there are a couple of jazz rock numbers that make this a worthwhile prospect for progressive fans. Pavle Kavec was a Hendrix officionado and still remains so, and it is quite evident in the style of the recording. Think of Hendrix minor – not in the same league, but still pleasant. If not for some of the jazzier tendencies, this would be a pretty forgetable affair, but still vital in the development of Slovenian progressive rock.

JAZZ ROCK

In Slovenia (and Yugoslavia), jazz has always enjoyed a very high status, both among musicians and fans. So it’s no surprise that the majority of the bands now considered as progressive were actually playing a variety of jazz rock. Many of them added their own recognisable elements into the mix, but many times jazz rock was the basis for their endeavours.

September – Zadnja Avantura (1976)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)

Singer Janez Bončina, who was responisble for most of the songwriting on this album, recruited some amazing musicians for the debut of September. Among them was also Tihomit Pop Asanovič, who had just had a successful stint with Croatian band Time. September managed to take good advantage of their individual qualities and create a fun jazz rock album. Constantly revolving around Bončina’s strong vocal delivery and his ideas.

Izvir – Izvir (1978)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)

As one of the few early Slovenian bands to actually try to infuse some symphonic progressive elements (primarily due to Andrej Konjajev’s excellent and versatile keyboards) into their brand of jazz-rock, Izvir released their one and only album in 1978. The album featured some truly outstanding guitar and keyboard work, with a more than solid melodic backdrop. This album is in itself quite strong, but even more than that a testimony of what could have been.

Predmestje – Danes, včeraj in… (1979)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)

Predmestje continued in the tradition September had set up a few years earlier – very catchy and accessible jazz rock which is easy to listen to. Their sound was reminiscent to Izvir,except less epic. When they got going, there were really some sparks flying around. Not many bands managed to survive on the progressive rock scene as Predmestje.

Jutro – Dobro jutro (1980)
(Click on the cover to hear a song from the album)

A less than spectacular album shows this band tackling jazz rock with the emphasis very much on jazz. They come up with some memorable moments on accoasion, but unfortunately those moments are all too rare and most of the time they remained stranded in pointless improvisation and looking for a melody to dig them out of the hole.

This special is originally written for TheRocktologist.com

ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast – Episode 07: Prog Sphere Promotions 1/2

The new episode of ProgSphere’s AwesomeCast showcases 10 bands (each presented with 2 tracks) from the Prog Sphere Promotions roster. Just to give you a brief clue – Prog Sphere Promotions is a boutique agency providing bands representation and public relations in the music industry, with a tendency of supporting up-and-coming bands from all around the world. Our primary goal is to enable these bands to be heard, as we think they really deserve attention of radio&tv stations, internet&printed magazines, web portals, and of course the fans of progressive music.

Not all bands off the roster are included on this podcast, that’s why you have “1/2″ in the title of this one. Comparing to all other AwesomeCasts we did so far, this one comes without any chatting, as there are only songs, songs and songs. Look below for the tracklist and hit the play button on that player showed somewhere around. Feel free to drop a comment in the comment box below this text if you feel that you have something to say about the music. Until the next time, enjoy!

To be continued…

Tracklist:

01. Sleepin Pillow – An Idiot’s Point of View (taken from Superman’s Blues, 2010)
02. Bruno Pitch – Karachi (taken from Crystal Garden, 2010)
03. Daymoon – First Rain (taken from All Tomorrows, 2011)
04. Øresund Space Collective – Space Jazz Jam 2.2 (taken from Dead Man in Space, 2011)
05. Consecration – Somna (taken from .avi, 2010)
06. Mars Red Sky – Strong Reflection (taken from Mars Red Sky, 2011)
07. Johnny Engstrom Band – Endlessly (taken from Magnetic Force, 2011)
08. Seven That Spells – Let’s Go to San Francisco (taken from Acid Taking and Sweet Love Making, 2011)
09. Draconic – The Imbecile (taken from The Wrong Side of the Aperture, 2009)
10. Concrete Sun – D.A.N.U.B.E. (taken from Sky is High, 2011)
11. Concrete Sun – Sky is High (taken from Sky is High, 2011)
12. Draconic – Hospitals (taken from Hospitals, 2011)
13. Seven That Spells – Easy Drugs & Hard Women (taken from Acid Taking and Sweet Love Making, 2011)
14. Johnny Engstrom Band – Wounded (taken from Magnetic Force, 2011)
15. Mars Red Sky – Way to Rome (taken from Mars Red Sky, 2011)
16. Consecration – Idiot Glee (taken from .avi, 2010)
17. Øresund Space Collective – Red Earth Calling (taken from Entering Into the Space Country, 2011)
18. Daymoon – News from the Outside (taken from All Tomorrows, 2011)
19. Bruno Pitch – Neverlove (taken from Crystal Garden, 2010)
20. Sleepin Pillow – The Black Sea (taken from Apples on an Orange Tree, 2008)

Caravan – The Stables, Wavendon, Milton Keynes, 13th October 2011

The band’s successful resurrection last year for a TV special (available on dvd and well worth it) has provided fresh impetus to what has become a bit of a venerable English music institution, the reigning kings and elder statesmen of Canterbury, Caravan. The line up that played that show, Richard Coughlan excepted, sauntered out onto the stage at the comfortable and well appointed surroundings of The Stables and launched into a joyous rendition of the Memory Lain Hugh/Headloss medley from what for me is their best album, For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night, so a great start!

Band leader and founder Pye Hastings, the only original member on stage tonight, was in fine form after initially struggling to reach the high notes. Singers often find their range decreases with age, and it’s a wonder Pye can hit those high notes at all given that a lot of his songs seemed to have been sung at the top end his range, even three or four decades ago.

Star of the show was undoubtedly Geoffrey Richardson who was an entertaining MC as well as alternating between his trusty viola (son amour), flute, guitar and piccolo. He even played an amusing rhythmic interlude during Golf Girl on spoons! On keyboards we had Jan Schelhaas, who first played with the band as far back as 1976’s Blind Dog At St Dunstan’s, and on bass was Jim Leverton, another veteran of the 70s underground rock scene who first played on 1995’s Battle of Hastings reunion album. Jan and Jim filled their roles with gusto, and both, indeed all the band seemed to be really enjoying the experience. Particularly so latest recruit the comparatively youthful Mark Walker on drums, although according to his website he left school in 1980 so he’s not exactly a spring chicken himself!

Large chunks of In The Land Of Grey And Pink were played, 40 years old this year no less, including a sparkling rendition of Nine Feet Underground. We learned that the song was so called because Dave Sinclair wrote it in a state of some impoverishment in a cellar in Canterbury that was…nine feet underground. Sorry if that shatters any artistic delusions you may have had! Geoffrey also related the tale of the title of the great 2003 reunion reunion album (this band have stopped and started more times than a Trabant with a blocked carb), The Unauthorised Breakfast Item. Staying in a posh hotel in Trenton, New Jersey for the 2002 Nearfest, Mr R having already gorged on a sumptuous American breakfast wandered over to the Continental Breakfast buffet and helped himself to a croissant, cunningly concealed in his napkin, fuel for what he described as a forthcoming long day playing “Prawg” (heheh), when a maitre d’ stopped him with the immortal line (adopts American drawl) ”Excuse me sir, but you seem to have an unauthorised breakfast item”. Well, it made us laugh, maybe you had to be there!

Songs spanning seven albums and some 33 years were played, along with two new songs which both sounded good to me and bode well for the planned new album. A fine evening’s English whimsical entertainment was enjoyed by an audience who were largely but not exclusively, of shall we say, a certain age, but remember, everthing will be alright if you don’t leave your Dad in the rain…:)

Finally, it was sad to hear that drummer Richard Coughlan is too ill to accompany his mates on tour this time round, and we wish him all the best.

Thanks to John Price for the photos.

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