THROUGH AND THROUGH

I was incredibly tempted to add the fifth star, but I've concluded that this, while very much an excellent release is not quite essential. The Underground Railroad is a band in the same vein as the middle-atlantic school of modern ameri-prog (echolyn, finneus gauge, land of chocolate) with fusion influences mixed into a melodic framework, and great vocals. Bill Pohl's guitars can be Holdsworth-esque at times, and the rythm section is incredibly precise. Kurt Rongey's keyboards are great and his voice, though not spectacular, is immensely likable. Their compositions run the gamut from the echolyn-like punchy jazz-prog of May Fly and Mars, to more narrative pieces that are like UK covering Genesis, such as Comprachios and The Doorman. On the extreme are Into the Factory, an instrumental switching between ultra-complex and gently melodic themes, and the title track, which is a mellow yet avant-garde 20 minute track. Conclusion: If you love modern prog that sounds like it could have been released in 1974 and could have held the test of time, snag this disc.

This is a very complex piece of music.....challenging at times. However once listened to a number of times it will become a favourite I am sure. The musicianship is fantastic and the production is impressive.The album is melodic in parts, jazz influenced sometimes, rock fueled and Progressive throughout. Through and Through on the album is a masterpiece. If you like Yes, Genesis, UK etc this is a must for you. The influences are there but the album is stamped with the unique sound of The Underground Railroad. FANTASTIC!

Strangely enough, this album became less interesting the more I listened to it. Yet I liked it the first time I heard it. I bought it in preperation for NearFest 2001, and as I said above, repeated listens made it less and less likeable. After seeing them perform at NearFest, I never pulled the album out again. Until this review. My feelings have not changed, though I still the like the song, The Doorman, and I still think they can be credited with a very original compositional style that is still very recognizable as "prog". I think that initially, I felt the complex and unique song structures would grow on me and that I would discover more with more listens. This was not the case, and the album became tiresome to me, and playing it again recently has only had the same result. I rate this about 2 1/2 stars, but because of originality I will round up to 3.

I guess this album is of the type that you either love or hate. Luckily I am one of the people that is able to enjoy it.

I have no idea how many times I have heard this by now, but it just keeps growing and growing! The compositions are extremly complex and there are almost no repetitions at all. Every listen is like an exploration where I find new details all the time.

As their lastest release "The Orgin of Consciousness" have a more rock-attitude, "Through and Through" has a totaly different cool mood over it. You will find everything from jazz and psychedelia to incredibly beautyful piano parts. I sometimes find the keyboard sound a little annoying, but you will get used to it. This is a truly unique masterpiece that does not sound like anything else.

When "May-Fly" (3:52) starts to roll at my CD player, my first reaction about this album is something like Finneus Gauge or Echolyn's music with more ambient in textures. You might recall its similarity with Allan Holdsworth or even with Phish - even though the latter has wide range of music styles. For sure, the first track has given me a good impression of how good the quality of The Underground Railroad music is. I especially enjoy the combination of guitar and piano works.

"The Comprachinos of the Mind" (10:18) starts off with longs keyboard solo work followed with jazz-rock music style and unique singing style. This is typically similar with Allan Holdsworth's music. Keyboard plays important role as basic foundation of overall rhythm section while guitar inserts its solo augmented with keyboard - wonderfully. The music interlude offers guitar solo (howling sound) in ambient rhythm section. It's definitely like a Holdsworth's guitar solo. Next track "In The Factory" (5:35) starts off with inventive keyboard work in an excellent harmony. The music flows like a jazz-rock fusion music with long sustain keyboard as main rhythm section.

"The Doorman" (10:05) is another long track like second track with unique singing style. The music reminds me to the early music of Steve Hackett solo albums. This track is quite strange in terms of styles because at some segments remind me to the music of early Genesis but at another segments like Holdsworth solo album with interesting keyboard and drum solo.The concluding track and album title "Through and Through" (20:13) is an epic with various music styles. Sometimes it goes melodic and at other segments are a bit of avant- garde.

Overall, this is a good addition to any progressive music collection. This album is worth to purchase as the music is quite unique and sometimes it's difficult to classify what band that similar with this band. If you are hungry to explore, and be open mind with, wide variety of styles, this album would fulfill your needs. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

“How can you believe him? He likes Neo!” – that’s what I already hear, submitting this review. First of all, this is MY point, and if you disagree, make a 5-star review for this one! :) Again, I appreciate good playing, dense musicianship and complex music. But if it isn’t supplied with enjoyable and memorable melodies, well-written structures and emotions, I’m simply getting bored. I was sitting listening through this album wondering how many good things here could have been invented but not! They decided to do it in their own special way. OK, if you like heartless mega-complex ear-hurting Avant Symphonic, go and get you this candy. I’ll abstain this time.

Complex prog from Fort Worth,Texas,US.The band was found by guitarist Bill Phol and keyboardist Kurt Rongey in 1996 after the demise of the group Anne Hand.Bill and Kurt were already familiar with the music industry,having released solo albums in the past years,and recruited Matt Hembree and John Livingston to response on bass and drums duties respectively.Their debut ''Through and Through'' was released on Laser's Edge in 2000.

What this guys present here is a super-technical Progressive Rock with evident vintage references,like trying to push GENESIS',YES' and KING CRIMSON's sound a bit further.Symphonic Rock is combined with Avant-Fusion and if you can imagine BIRDS AND BUILDINGS jamming with ATAVISM OF TWILIGHT you will get the picture.Here you will face a guitarist,who's style is split between ROBERT FRIPP's breaks and ALAN HOLDSWORTH's acrobatics,a keyboardist who can't decide the path between symphonic synths and distorted electronic sounds,a bass player and a drummer exploring all possible jazz patterns and vocals often close to these of PETER GABRIEL with a dramatic edge.The delivery is almost always deeped in dissonance with a few harmonic and pastoral breaks thrown in for good measure.Yet the album still keeps the listener's attention all the way with those dramatic shifting moods,the grandiose atmosphere,the interesting time signatures and the well-crafted arrangements despite the ultra-high level of virtuosity.

''Through and through'' is not an album for everybody.If fast and constant breaks and changes give you a headache,stay away.If technical performance and adventurous music is among your preferences,grab this one immediately.Warmly recommended.

The title of the debut album by The Underground Railroad is 'Through and Through', and the band was formed by Bill Pohl and Kurt Rongey. Both Bill and Kurt have graced these pages before, with their debut releases 'Solid Earth' and 'Book In Hand' respectively. In fact, they have been playing with each other for over ten years, but it was only in 1994 that they joined forces in the Bill Pohl Group. By 1997, they had the album written and felt that it was time to change the name of the band.

The album was not completed until the end of 1999, and was named after the longest piece on the album, 'Through and Through", which is over twenty minutes in length. This is a very complex and complicated album, which takes a great deal of listening to. They have obviously been influenced by the UK Canterbury scene, and have also taken on elements of King Crimson's more experimental work and some jazz. The result is an album that while undoubtedly clever, sometimes takes the listener into areas that are unexpected. While this is not in itself a bad thing I did sometimes get the impression that this was complexity just for its' own sake instead of following a musical thread.

A difficult album, but one that someone into experimental/jazz-based prog may enjoy.

Originally appeared in Feedback #60