ABUELO BLANC

"There once was a band / Jim, Nick, and Dan / They liked to groove / They liked to jam" - The group's bandcamp page.

I'm surprised by the low reviewing & rating activity for this relatively new band from St. Louis. I was kindly asked to review their second album, and I feel both perplexed and privileged to be the only reviewer this far. Even though I have somewhat ambivalent feelings for this album, I certainly think this highly talented band would deserve more recognition in our prog site. Haven't heard their 2019 debut album, but judged by this one I'd rather put them under Eclectic Prog or even RIO/Avant-Prog than Psychedelic/Space Rock.

Abuelo Blanc (equally odd title as the band name; I wonder where Jarvi comes from, as 'Järvi' is lake in Finnish) contains five tracks between 5 and 11½ minutes in length. 'Forest Mom, Part I' immediately convinces the prog listener by its flexible and eclectic musical nature. The trio really grooves. Dan Ilges is a fantastic drummer with a superb complexity in his versatile playing, Nick Johnson shines especially on bass, and Jim Miles plays his Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3 and synthesizers in a colourful way. The elements of fusion, pop and eclectic prog mingle merrily and dynamically. Jim's vocals in this opening song are OK.

'Funk Hell' is built on a meaty funk groove. Sad to say that Jim's singing gets very strained, heavy and honestly rather ugly to my ears. The otherwise interesting piece is in my opinion ruined by the aggressivity towards the end. But then comes the album's highlight, the instrumental with a Canterbury-like playful title: 'Aspartame as Part a' Me'. The tempo is slightly more relaxed than on the album in general which only makes the 8-minute piece more enjoyable. This music is both modern and timeless as it flirts with the classic Canterbury prog, bands such as Hatfield & The North or National Health. Also 'Hellgrammite' contains cool fusion elements and amazing playing, but -- unfortunately, from my point of view -- the going gets too heavy and restless, and the vocals again get nasty.

'Goodnight, Margaret' (9:22) is aptly more nocturnal in atmosphere, without being sleepy or serene at all. Thick layers of synths are dominating, sonically I sense some resemblance with the 80's new wave (Simple Minds, Thomas Dolby). The restrained low key singing suits well to the dark-toned mood.

For all that's great in this energetic and risk-taking music I'm rating this four encouraging stars, despite the fact that there are moments I dislike it.

Although I am fully aware that this St. Louis-based trio have just released their third album, I am miles behind on my listening so am only just catching up on the second, which was released in 2021. They comprise Dan Ilges (drums), Nick Johnson (bass, guitar, synth) and Jim Miles (vocals, Fender Rhodes, Hammond B3 organ, synth, alto sax, flute) and is apparently quite a step change from the debut which was instrumental as this is mostly songs with vocals (although there are also lengthy instrumental passages). On PA, reviewer Matti bemoans the fact that his was the only review to date and given that was published at the end of last year and mine is the next, I definitely concur.

Trios are a musical entity where there is never any room to hide, and all three of these guys are incredible musicians, and more importantly they all play equally relevant roles so not only is this wonderfully complex and inviting music, but it is incredibly balanced. When focussing on the vocals one realises it is the keyboards which are driving them, but the bass is providing intricate counter melodies which offset them, while the drums are true percussion where the drummer is a real musician as opposed to "just" a timekeeper, and keeps pushing everything along as he provides a fluid foundation. Although there is a great deal going on in an album which is touching multiple bases within the prog scene, for some reason it never feels too involved and even with space at a premium it never becomes too much.

The use of Hammond B3 and Fender Rhodes gives the music something of a jazz fusion vibe, as does some of the arrangements, but there are also some psychedelic elements and some serious nods to the likes of Hatfield & The North. The music does sound dated due mostly to the keyboard choices, but there is nothing wrong with that, and the result is an album which is easy to listen to the first time of playing yet there is real depth which only becomes apparent with repeated plays. This is most certainly a prog band who are worthy of far greater attention.