DISOBEY

Some may say neo-prog is a boring or generic genre of progressive rock, however, I am sure the bands are always willing to create good music, the most original possible in order to please the strictest fans. Here, Comedy of Errors and their album "Disobey" offer a really interesting journey to this sub-genre, with well-written songs, great musicianship and a huge quality that is shown during the entire 68 minutes of its length.

The album opens with "Disobey", a 7-minute introductory track whose mood creates a tense and expectant atmosphere that will surely caught your attention, it worked with me because that mood made me feel truly interested and eager to listen to the following tracks. As you can imagine, the keyboard work is great, wonderfully complemented by strings, drums and a great voice. "Jekyll" starts with calm piano-like notes, but after some 30 seconds the rhythm changes, becomes faster and make a friendlier sound. Later great acoustic guitar notes are played over the keyboard background and complemented by the voice. The neo-prog sound is evident, you will find that "catchy" (which does not mean less complex) sound, but you will keep interested in the music.

"Prelude, Riff and Fugue" is a keyboard based track which has the mandatory classical music style that the title suggests, though of course, it is morphed into a progressive rock song, a very good instrumental track, by the way. "Carousel" is the longest composition here, reaching the ten minutes. I like its progression, how little by little the elements are being added and crafted into a dynamic composition. Here we can listen to a nice acoustic guitar as base while vocals appear in a soft way; of course, there is a keyboard atmosphere that fills the music with nuances. After three minutes the song becomes faster and rockier and even more emotional. A new sense of tranquility is implemented just before the fifth minute, with only a keyboard creating a lullaby-like mood. Then it changes again, and it finishes with that peaceful mood it began. Great track!

"American Rodeo" has a catchy but great sound implemented by keyboards; the length of this track would actually work for a radio hit, which I am not suggesting, but it could clearly be enjoyed by non-prog fans. "Could Have Been Yesterday" is another soft and delicate tune that may remind you in some ways to Arena or Pallas. It starts softly and then it progresses until reaching the chorus, easy to sing but also to love. There is also a great guitar riff in the end which puts a rockier style on it.

The soft piano based sound returns with "Ailsa's Lullaby" which happens to be the shortest track of the album. It is necessary to mention that the album is dedicated to Ailsa Johnston, who sadly died last year losing the fight with cancer; the arrangements of this song are made by Jim Johnston, so it is a wonderful tribute. The next track is "Joke" and it continues with a melancholic sound created by piano and vocals at first, a minute later bass and drums enter and help conceiving that disarming mood. After two and a half minutes we can appreciate a great guitar solo over the acoustic guitar, keys, drums and bass.

We may divide the album in two, because the next four songs are actually part of a big concept track entitled "The Student Prince". The whole running time of these four passages is 25 minutes in which we can listen to well-crafted arrangements, great atmospheres and moods, and of course cool moments to sing. The first part is entitled "When Will I See You Again?" which is the longest of these four pieces. Good dynamic moments are offered here, with soft moments in one hand and vertiginous in the other. I love the keyboard work here because it produces different colors and textures. The second part is "And So To Bed" , shorter but emotive, with great inner passages, wonderful vocals, lyrics and keyboards as usual. The last minutes of this track are great, worth repeating.

"Foolcircle" is the third part, with a mellow, soft and relaxing sound created by piano and vocals at first, later additional keys are implemented, as well as a great drumming and cool bass notes. You may notice that the four parts are different, but at the same time they are connected and are essential for the Student Prince's success. Here, we can also listen to chorus vocals that produce an emotional tune. The fourth part is the shortest and is entitled "Green Light Coda", which is a piano-based track with delicate vocals and a goodbye mood.

So the album has finished and I liked what I heard/saw/felt here, because a musical journey is not limited to the audio, it produces different things in different fields. Great album by Comedy of Errors, highly recommendable to Neo Prog fans, and recommendable to the progressive rock follower average. My final grade will be four stars.

Enjoy it!

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