Butterflies & Elephants

Just about sums it up really. This album consists of two different halves, one of them being just a teeny tiny bit more interesting than the other - at least to this reviewer, -and putting images of either pachyderms or daytime moths on this kind of music is rather easy. Natural like skiing.

This sole album from Spanish group Metamorfosis is one of those brilliant little gems that simply defies the actual time-frame of its birth. Luckily so one might add. A lot of albums from 1982, incidentally the year of my own birth - were marred by the production tendencies of the time. Not this one though, and maybe apart from the occasional atmospheric synths here and there - it sounds like a record from 1977.

Getting back to the two sides of this album. One of them is the electric side, that boasts some seriously mouthwatering synthesizers, ethereal drum work, larger than life guitar sculptures and a walking clean bass bobbing away underneath it all - all of this together creating some magnificent symphonic musical sections. These are by far my favourite thing about this album. And while Papallones I Elefants never really gets unmelodious - these symphonic sprees do overflow in some kind of natural melody lines that put the rest of this album to shame. Think mid period Genesis or maybe Grobschnitt, and you're not that far off. This is guitar country and often it'll be duetting with itself - birdlike - twittering clean and crisp in the morning air. As I mentioned before these symphonic grandiose sections are beautiful and damn near to die for.

Then you have the other part of this recording, which is the more acoustic side of it. Still the bass remains electric as does the guitar, but this time around it sticks to muffled rhythmic splashes and more earth toned traditional jazz patterns. The synths trade in for their older brother the piano. It feels like some sort of late night jazz club sound this emanates - like the music you'll hear in one of those old school food programmes: "Then we pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes or so - and just wait..." I know, I'm not making any sense - as usual, but then again this is music.

There are moments on here that successfully manages to splice up these different trades - piles them together to form this heavy, docile staccato, jazzy and slightly effervescent thing - just like the second track called Un Joc Als Cinc Ans, which to me sounds like a somewhat symphonic jazzy excursion to the northern parts of Egypt. S'got that special melodic slightly skewed phrasing that truly reminds me of those sand coloured parts of the pyramid country.

If you enjoy melody to go with your fusion, and moreover want something that treads lightly like the butterfly - y'know those fizzing airy symphonic textures that flap their wings high over the confines of our world, and yet also incorporate the earthbound, meaty and well trusting confidence of the mighty elephant - all of this manufactured through deliciously playing instrumentalists - then Metamorfosis' one hit wonder could be your next purchase. It's truly like fondling a pinkish daytime moth whilst straddling a big heavy pachyderm under the silhouetted skies of the Hispanic peninsula. An experience to say the least...

Trey Spruance's major project within the extended Mr Bungle family of side projects features about as diverse a range of sounds as you could ever expect to find. Later in their career, Secret Chiefs 3 would put about the idea that they were actually a collection of 7 different bands which happened to have Trey in common with completely different sounds, all putting out songs on the same album.

Well, if that's true then the different bands keep treading on each other's feet this time around, because within individual compositions you can go from alt-rock reimaginings of traditional Middle Eastern music to a film soundtrack to Zappaesque tape experiments to death metal screaming without warning. Anyone who digs Mr Bungle's Disco Volante and wonders what a mostly-instrumental take on the same concept would sound like could do a lot worse than refer to the Chiefs.

I admit that I'm not much of a metal fan. When I listen to prog metal, it's for the prog elements, not really the metal elements. So I must say that this album does not have much to interest me.

There is one fairly good, and very proggy track. That would be Final Error. That track is complex and exciting, what I look for in a prog metal song.

The remainder of the album might be interesting to a metal aficionado, and even I must admit that as metal goes it's certainly not bad, but the prog elements are minimal. For that reason I can only give this album two stars. A high two, but that's it.

I have to admit Progressive Electronic is by no means my favorite music, this being my only second review ever in this genre. But this album is a free download and their nationality (Pakistan) would hopefully add something more to the genre than the usual fare.

The local flavours is a bit missing on this album, although I may have missed the local flavours. This album is a coop between Rakas and 6LA8 too. Hence, it is not a normal 6LA8 album. The first half has some organic flavours of some strings added. But there are also plenty of nifty computer works here too. All of the album, I guess. In this respect, it reminds me a lot about Senmuth, their brother in crime from the other side of the Karakoram mountains range. But 6LA8's music is a lot soft edged and softer than Senmuth's music. But it is still computer music.

This album is pretty decent with the first half of the album having some good melody lines. The final half is very poor though. This is a decent album, but nothing more. It is a free download though so make up your own mind as I have made up my mind.

2 stars

5/10

Welcome to the 80s, Kaipa!

Yes, the Swedish group was also one of those changed their sound with the advent of pop music and the end of the golden era of progressive rock. Probably the output of Roine Stolt had a significant impact on this controversial change. Here they sound like bands art rock / new wave that were emerging in England and the United States dominated the radio (to the horror of prog purists). Seriously, replace the vocals in Swedish vocals in English and by you will not know which is Kaipa!

Although I'm a fan of music this decade and admire the work of those bands I think there hander has its flaws. But no, this album is not crap as they say, in my view. He does not equate to quality of 90125 or Invisible Touch (do not crucify me for that, please!), But not something to throw away. The first two tracks are really forgettable, but the instrumental Regn is a beautiful gem with the spirit of that time and a reminder that Kaipa could still make good music and Med Trasiga Segel also is noteworthy. The other songs... good, they are somewhat ambiguous to me, but I can not change my decision to give a rating of "good, but non-essential" to that album.

Three stars healthy.

— First review of this album —

The debut album from this Spanish band.

The music is instrumental. The instruments are drums, keyboards and synth-bass. And that alone really says a lot about this album. But if in any doubts; the music is somewhere between new age muzak/elevator music, classical music and symphonic prog. This is in Keith Emerson & ELP territory and this is by no means the most exciting or interesting music I have heard this year. It is leaning towards the other side of the spectrum, in fact.

The quality of the music is pretty good and it is obvious that Alfredo G. Arcusa & Isabel Muniente knows their stuff. And melodies like Estrella en el camino is great too. But there are some other melodies which does not really interest me too.

Overall, this is a rather weak triple stars album, Estrella en el camino and the many ELP references being the saving grace here. Those of you not in awe of ELP can safely bypass this album and spend the money on some fudge donuts instead.

3 stars

Before the official release of the Departure From the Northern Wasteland LP in 1978, a 7-inch promotional LP was made available to the general public. I was in college at the time, and my roommate showed me an advertisement for the promo in the issue of ROLLING STONE that he was reading. The promo was either free or very cheap, because I sent away for it. I was not familiar with Michael Hoenig, but my roommate knew that he was a member of Tangerine Dream and predicted that I would not be disappointed.

Even though my record collection back then included albums by Yes, Pink Floyd, Kansas, Crack the Sky, and even Vangelis, I was not yet a self-acknowledged prog-head. I listened to the promo once when it arrived, had a neutral opinion of it, and added it to my stack of 45s, where it remained neglected for decades.

When I finally listened to it again, as a fully-fledged prog-head, I was extremely impressed. The record had two excerpts from the title track, and excerpts from "Hanging Garden Transfer" and "Sun and Moon". It prompted me to buy the LP, which I finally found in a used record store. Upon listening to the LP, I was astounded.

The track "Voices of Where" prevents this album from achieving 5-star status. I think it was no accident that the promo omitted an excerpt from this song. The odd vocals at the end are very out of place. But that is the only negative comment I have about this album.

The music is beautiful, relaxing, and timeless. It captures the imagination. I echo my roommate's advice from long ago ? you will not be disappointed.

Arena's followup to Songs From the Lion's Cage is the perfect counterpart to that album - and not just because of the continuing Crying for Help theme or the recurring motifs from the ancient world. With new vocalist Paul Wrightson on fine form and IQ's John Jowitt joining on bass, the band show no sign of slowing down in the face of these lineup changes - indeed, Mick Pointer's drumming shows several signs of improvement. The band's sound also diversifies a little, with more influences from heavier traditions of prog creeping in, which helps the dark and foreboding sound of the compositions. These improvements and changes don't quite elevate Pride into the heavens, but they do make sure Arena continue to be an intriguing band worthy of listeners' attention.

On Signify Porcupine Tree had solidified as a fully-fledged band project, the metamorphosis having occurred during the Sky Moves Sideways period. In terms of its atmosphere and approach it's something of a return to the model set by Up the Downstair - moving away from the agonisingly long compositions of The Sky Moves Sideways, the band hone down their musical approach into more bite-size samples of thoroughly modernised space rock, with plenty of found audio samples to embellish the sound. With its tranquil space rock moods occasionally collapsing into intricate King Crimson-ish workouts, Signify isn't quite a masterpiece but it's more than strong enough to prove that the band were in it for the long haul, and once the album closer Dark Matter has finished most prog fans will be eager for more.

Having liked the last two offerings from CBP I was looking forward to dipping in to this one. I wasn't expected to be swamped and submerged by a swathe of Gilmour like guitars and spacey drawn out epics that have been offered up. This is great stuff! The rhythm section pounds away and keeps songs like Get Down and Live with it and Laying Traps chugging along nicely but CBP also know when to leave spaces and stretch out and relax, not always a trait in modern prog ( for this is what this album truly is). The variety of instruments and effects used create an intriguing and always interesting soundscape. This is just the sort of album that I like to put on and get lost in. Top stuff!