Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography
After Crying - Overground Music CD (album) cover

OVERGROUND MUSIC

After Crying

Symphonic Prog


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Bookmark and Share
2 stars This is actually the debut album from After Crying. I've had heard them on the broadcast of the NEARfest '01 (I think) and they impressed me very much with their sound of progressive rock with a heavy influence of classical music. "Overgorund Music" has those elements but with a very very less impressive songwriting level, as this is their first album one can notice that this is a band in their formative years. I would not recommend this records for beginners.
Report this review (#545)
Posted Saturday, December 25, 2004 | Review Permalink
dusk73@libero
5 stars No words necessary, just one: MASTERPIECE. An absolute masterpiece, an acoustic hurricane came from hungary to renew the prog scene. "Confess your beauty" is a new classic, for me the best progrock composition in the last two decades. And how to define "The Shining"? All the songs are pure gems. Their debut quickly entered the heaven of Progressive. A must! 5 stars? If I could, I would have given 6!
Report this review (#546)
Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2005 | Review Permalink
5 stars Total Agreement Rick Barrel! This is indeed an acoustic hurricane played by a bunch of extremely talented fellows from hungary! These fellows play so well that they can actually switch styles in seconds, from classical chamber music to progressive rock to jazz and so on! These guys neither offer guitars nor drums, and they still manage to rock perfectly! I suggest you check this record! It's not another typical progressive rock record!
Report this review (#547)
Posted Saturday, May 14, 2005 | Review Permalink
frankorudess@
5 stars I actually discovered this outstanding band by accident at a record store, i asked the owner to put an album from emerson lake and palmer, and he got the wrong cd ..thank god he did. I couldnt ask more, this is like dream theater but instead of distorsion you have violins and cellos! Is amazing!... These Guys are really great...Confess your Beauty instrumental part just knocked me down. I always thought classical music were boring...especially when they added flutes...the flutes part in after crying are so powerfull. You have a especial band using special instruments, very unique. Songs like European Things and Shining shows what symphonic progressive is all about. This is my favourite After Crying album, i've listened to it thousands of times and never get bored or found anything to criticize(maybe some lyrics arent at the level of the instrumental talent they have). Their music is complex and you have to be very open minded to appreciate their work, especially prog-metal fans like me.

I cant give this album less then 5 stars. The two previous reviews from this albums are definitely right.

Report this review (#46373)
Posted Monday, September 12, 2005 | Review Permalink
5 stars Well, not my first review on this album...its been a while though.

I just want to highlight this is maybe the most incredible symphonic string sound i ever heard, if there's any symphonic solo that could beat "confess your beauty" i wouldnt believe it. The only "negative" thing about the cd is that you have to get used to vocals that actually has to do with Hungarian musical culture(they have this like low tone voices).

Highly Recommended for any symphonic prog lover that always wanted to know what would happened if keith emerson played with zappa.

4.9/5..

Stay Classy

Report this review (#81366)
Posted Saturday, June 17, 2006 | Review Permalink
5 stars OVERGROUND MUSIC......even the title sounds interesting...

A very special piece of music indeed, the closest music i have heard that grabbed the pincel in the middle... a famous methaphore that tells you that the balance between the subconcient feeling and the technique will reveal its true meaning on expression.

After Crying just did an incredible unbelievable virtuous album but at the same time with the passion and the sentimental feeling it needed to be coloured.

This record years ago opened inconciently the path to me through arts, comic book art, Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Caspar David Friedrich, just to mention the popular ones.

Confess Your Beauty instrumental section is a piece that trascended the instruments and the time of the soloing... behind the inspiration for that section is were relies the misterious ingenious and intellect of men...gives certain fantastic meaning to our existence.

This is more a work of art, than a Symphonic Progressive album, inside its frames i would say.

The most interesting thing in progressive music apart from the wank fest pirotecnic soloings and stuff; is that there in this genre is were wise and most knowledge musicians might appear.

This record showed me the difference between a musician and an artisti...Scott Henderson is a musician, Vedres Csaba is an artist...

There are discs where you enjoy as a hobbie "i listen to music, music is my life blah blah" and cds like this one that teaches you the most valuable things of life...

I often get the "you are always listening weird hungarian stuff, and music from poland, finland , just to say you know unpopular music" obviously ignorants might think its like that...

But the real thing is that i have learned so much from music, that i want to learn more...it can begin in cds like this one the journey...

This is certain a jewel

"Daría todo lo que sé, por la mitad de lo que ignoro." René Descartes*

Many records have waken the ears of my ears, and the eyes of my eyes...too many maybe..but this was and is one of the first that helped that to happen...

Stay Classy

Report this review (#92713)
Posted Saturday, September 30, 2006 | Review Permalink
octopus-4
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
RIO/Avant/Zeuhl,Neo & Post/Math Teams
4 stars The end of the cold war has let us discover the Eastern Europe. After Crying are a very big surprise. The use of cellos, flutes, cymbals together with a great piano and quite good vocals is amazing. This is not symphonic prog, as the sound is pretty acoustic, but you can find lot of ideas in this album. It's not only an experiment. The first track immediately leads you into their musical world, where strings are rhythmic and flute and piano do a great job. The album flows as it was a suite, even if it's not a concept album. Madrigal love can be intended as a mini-suite that leads to the impressive final track. The vocals are the weaker part of this album, but not so bad. 4 stars
Report this review (#96322)
Posted Tuesday, October 31, 2006 | Review Permalink
ClemofNazareth
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Prog Folk Researcher
4 stars It’s always a risk to delve into the back catalog of a band that you’ve discovered long after they began recording, but that’s what happened for me in the case of After Crying. I’m pretty sure ‘De Profundis’ was the first thing I heard from these guys, and that was courtesy of one of my kids. I found them to be instantly likeable and have enjoyed them ever since, although the infrequency of their releases has been a disappointment.

I guess it was because of this lack of new material that eventually their earlier works caught my eye. This one in particular was a no-brainer, as I always want to find out what a band started out to be since it helps to explain how they evolved the way they did. In the case of After Crying, the progression is remarkably transparent as one works their way chronologically through each of the band’s albums. This first one has much of the classical, almost chamber-like style of their later work, but it is also marked at times with just a bit of inconsistency, which is not at all surprising for a debut. Also, the English vocals really detract from the overall experience, and while they don’t ruin the album at all for me, I can see where some would be put off by this. Otherwise this is a top-quality offering from a group of consummate musicians, and a completely enjoyable piece of art to experience.

This is the only Hungarian music I have, and I suspect it isn’t indicative of the more common styles in that part of the world. These guys are almost definitely classically- trained, but they also have been strongly influenced by Zappa, probably the earlier British symphonic masters, maybe a little jazz, and possibly even a bit by Canterbury music. It’s a fantastic blend of sounds that doesn’t get old even after several dozen plays.

If I had to rate the album solely on the first track I would give it four stars, maybe even five. The band’s first impression is a strong and positive one, opening with a bevy of classic sounds via cello, viola, bassoon, oboe, and of course the elegant Vedras piano. This may be a tribute to Zappa, but the strong chamber tenor blends avant-garde and classical music in a way that would have caught both Fripp and Gabriel’s ears ‘back in the day’. Beautiful stuff.

But like I said this album is a bit uneven, and the Kermit the Frog-like vocals that open “Don't Betray Me” are quite a mood shift. The piano is again dominant, and the trombone is a nice touch that gives this a somber but not depressing tone. Overall I would say this is a good composition that would have been great without the vocals.

The vocals improve a bit on “Confess Your Beauty” since this has more of a theatrical feel to it so the accent is more complimentary, but this is the one track where the weak production is most apparent. The band definitely figured out the whole studio thing by the time the decade had run out, but they are still figuring it out on this one.

The whole “Madrigal Love” sequence is the highlight of the album, but again the vocals are a bit of a distraction. Can you imagine Fish fronting this band? Or even better, Alan Parsons Project’s Eric Woolfson. That would have been something. Regardless, the orchestral instrumentation is nearly flawless, most notably the flute and oboe progressions.

The band closes with a preview of things to come on the ten-minute plus “Shining (...to the Powers of Fairyland)”, a lengthy and sometimes complex chamber piece with beautiful female vocals. The trombone here is a bit out-of-place, but overall this is a bit closer to the sound of the next several albums and a great upbeat closer to a very decent debut.

I don’t think I’ve heard anything from these guys that I didn’t like, but this is not their strongest effort by any means. Still, the music breathes new life into the symphonic rock style at a time when it was in serious decline, and the album’s title coming on the heels of the fall of communism in Hungary is inspiring and uplifting. This is an album that any serious symphonic rock fan should have in their collection, and it easily stands on its own as a solid four star effort. Highly recommended, as is everything I’ve heard from this band.

peace

Report this review (#114466)
Posted Wednesday, March 7, 2007 | Review Permalink
5 stars This is the first (on CD) and one of the best of them. At earlier times they have got some demo-like works published on cassette only:

1. Opus 1 - 1989 (Live, 2 longer and 1 shorter "jamming" of cello, flute, piano) 2. 1989 (It is a real demo, and their first CD is much better) 3. Concert 1991 (A 2 CD long live performance. This is the top work of AC with Csaba Vedres on piano!!! Some parts of the concert published later on the second CD of "Első évtized" (The First Decade) with mixtured tracks.)

This work (sorry, my english is not pretty good enough to write long reviews): - Atmosphere: 9.5 - Creativity/Progressivity: 10 - Performance/Musician skills: 8.5 (The vocal part of the music is "a little bit weak") - Variety: 9 - Lasting appeal/Depth (pithy): 10 - Words: 9 (In the hungarian version of the songs it is 10)

Tracks: 10, 9, 10, 9, 9, 9.5 (Madrigal Love two + free), 8.5 Average: 9.3/2 = 4.65 = 5 stars

Report this review (#133511)
Posted Friday, August 17, 2007 | Review Permalink
apps79
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars AFTER CRYING made their debut in 1990 proposing something different in prog rock.The band hadn't a drummer or a guitar player and the album was based on the good piano,flute and trombone playing.Parts of the album remind me of RIO,part of them have a jazz flavior but the main thing to watch are the heavily classical influenced interplay of the band.They seem like a classical/rock orchestra at times.The female vocals are so excellent and the only negative thing are the male vocals without being annoying.A MASTERPIECE OF CLASSICAL MUSIC WITH AN INTENSE PROG ROCK FEELING...
Report this review (#151017)
Posted Thursday, November 15, 2007 | Review Permalink
5 stars Ahh Overground Music; I accidentally stumbled upon this great band around half a year ago not knowing anything about them. At the time I was getting into newer symphonic prog, and Overground was the highest rated on the site. I had no idea this one would become to one of my favorite albums, but now I've said repeatedly that this is one of the few albums in my collection that transcends even most masterpieces. This is probably one of the most listened-to albums in my collection but there's just so much going on in here that I never tire of it.

From the beginning to the end there isn't a dull moment I can think of. This is very progressive music. Lots of classical influence, but they still manage to create a sound and atmosphere of their own. The eclectic use of instruments always keeps me on edge. From the great opener European Things (Hommage a Frank Zappa), a song that would surely earn the approval of the man himself, you can tell you're in for quite a ride. The song is constantly changing pace and melody, yet manages to always sound fresh and upbeat throughout the 9 minutes.

Their laid-back songs such as Don't Betray Me and ...to Black... sounds just as good as their more upbeat side. And remains just as progressive. Even in the 3 minute Don't Betray Me there's a lot going on. Confess Your Beauty is simply amazing, the song is so well written and ohhh that wonderful cello... The Madrigal Love trilogy works great as a whole. I especially love part 2, which makes great use of the trumpets. Part 3 has an interesting jazzy-swing feel to it, which even at under a minute always catches my ear. The Shining is another magnificent one, and is as great a closer as European Things is an opener. It seamlessly changes from ethereal to beautiful, many times encompassing both. The very end of the song has some great inspiring trumpets for a perfect close to a perfect album.

I can't review this album without mentioning the amazing playing of trained classical pianist Vedres Csaba (who regrettably left the band a few years and albums later). His upbeat playing often sounds like two separate people playing simultaneously. Without a doubt it is the glue that holds the rest of the band together, as there's nearly always no percussion section. Its almost always there, and always fresh and entertaining. Though it doesn't come close to undermining the rest of the band, the playing and solos throughout are always fantastic no matter where they're coming from.

The album has a lot of strengths, really all one could ask for. Great progressive songwriting, atmosphere, and equally good musicianship. The reason I think its so underrated is because of the vocals. At first listening they seem almost out of place. The forced English sounds strange at times, the band eventually fixed this by returning to Hungarian vocals though. Even so, these vocals grew on me profoundly. I realized its a very unique voice, and in my opinion it works well with the music. Now when I listen it contributes to the all around atmosphere. I think if looked at from that perspective people will enjoy this album as much as I do...immensely!

Recommended to any fans of symphonic prog/art rock, as well as fusion fans (especially fans of those fusion bands with a classical element).

Report this review (#166333)
Posted Thursday, April 10, 2008 | Review Permalink
Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This album is very impressive to me and even though this band is considered symphonic prog, I'd rather call this album as eclectic or avant-garde in nature. I have known After Crying for so long and have listened to some of their later albums. Only recently I got a chance to have this album and was impressed at first spin for two things: music composition and sonic production - all of them are excellent. Why do I stress on composition? It's merely due to the facts that the overall album do not sound to produce what is so called "catchy" melodies. Well, I know that this is very subjective. A friend of mine who has not been posed yet to prog commented that Genesis' "Firth of Fifth" is not catchy while to me it's so catchy.

Impressive debut album!

The good thing about this album is how dynamic each song in the album in terms of tempo as well as style changes. There are different time signatures in even the shortest segment of the music. The opening track "European Things (Hommage ŕ Frank Zappa) « (8:27) demonstrates exactly what I mean. Observe how the time signatures change quite frequently throughout the song while the melody is sacrificed. However, with the lack of melody, you can enjoy the music with the harmonies among instruments and vocals produce throughout the song. As the title implies, this is definitely a Zappa music interpreted uniquely by the band. The use of string section and piano combined with energetic singing is wonderful. "Don't Betray Me" (3:02) is a mellow track with powerful vocal and piano as main rhythm section while trumpets accentuate the song. The ending part with cello / violins combined with trumpets is nice.

"Confess Your Beauty" (6:50) is probably a catchy song with nice piano work at the opening part followed by energetic singing. Again, the band demonstrates, despite this is a debut album, its maturity in music composition. The piano and string section combination plus piano solo and violin solo are all great. "Madrigal Love Part One" (2:14) shares similar vein with "Don't Betray Me", using piano and vocal as main component. ". ...to Black... "(5:05) according to my preference is a catchy song, sung beautifully by the lead vocalist. "Madrigal Love Part Two (Over Every Sea)" (3:00) brings the music into faster tempo with nice acapella followed by great piano work. "Madigral Love Part Free" (0:51) concludes the epic with piano and acoustic work followed with acapella in the vein of Gentle Giant. It flows wonderfully through great piano work to "Shining (...to the Powers of Fairyland)" (10:44) which features flute and female vocal. According to my book, this song is quite catchy in its melody line as well as the rhythm section by piano as well as string section. The solo section in the middle of the track using brass instruments followed by high register notes female vocal singing has made me rating this track with a true five-star.

Overall, this album is more avant-garde in nature than a symphonic one. Yes, I agree that the band uses many symphonic instruments like string section and piano but the way the music flows, it sounds to me more into eclectic type of music. One thing for sure this album is very intense with classical music components. So, if you love classical music, you might love this album as well. Four and half stars rating. Highly recommended. Keep on proggin' ..!

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW (i-Rock! Music Community)

Report this review (#180393)
Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 | Review Permalink
5 stars AFTER CRYING is a band of classically educated musicians who play an excellent quality symphonic progressive rock and IMO do it with a good sense of humor. Overground Music, their debut and perhaps the best album is notable by the absence of traditional rock instruments such as guitars and drums. The voice (male) sometimes sounds in a dissonance with what musicians play and it amuses much. It feels like a vagrant singer met the chamber orchestra and said: OK guys you're gonna play your stuff and I gonna sing, well..., something... And it works! Shining is the most beautiful and reminds HACKETT's Shadow of the Hierophant. Highly recommended, especially for prog purists!
Report this review (#188811)
Posted Tuesday, November 11, 2008 | Review Permalink
Epignosis
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars What I don't understand is where the rock factor comes in. No staples of rock music exist anywhere: There is absolutely no guitar in any form, and with one small exception, no drums or percussion at any point Mainly this is exquisite piano music with jazz sensibilities, classical instruments on top, and horrendous vocals to ruin everything. I would have enjoyed this more had the native language been sung (even if I could not understand it).

"European Things (Hommage ŕ Frank Zappa)" While the piano playing is magnificent, the composition is ruined by strange vocals burdened with effects and a loose arrangement. Essentially, the music is jazz with some avant-garde elements sprinkled on top. It would have made a great piano solo piece, but as it is, it's very strange. The symphonic side comes through in fine style toward the end, using more traditional classical instrumentation.

"Don't Betray Me" I don't mean to be insensitive, but as a native speaker (and singer) of English, I can't help but say the Hungarian's singing of English sounds like he is acting in an insulting cabaret show. The instrumentation is sparse, mainly strings and horns, but nothing special. It's a boring song.

"Confess Your Beauty" Again, the vocals are a big turnoff. The piano and flute are very good aspects, however, but it's hard to concentrate on them when the singer has such a thick accent. The strings are the best part of the piece.

"Madrigal Love Part One" Piano and those terribly pronounced vocals are all there is to this short track.

"...to Black..." This is a continuation of the previous track after the wind instrument enters.

"Madrigal Love Part Two (Over Every Sea)" A nice song overall (with decent harmonies), this is the only one to employ any percussion, which consists of a repetitive high hat. The female vocals are a pleasing touch, and I think they would have done well to have had her sing throughout the record.

"Madrigal Part Free" The high hat continues as some more strange vocals and odd jazz bits come through.

"Shining (...to the Powers of Fairyland)" This is what the album should have consisted of. The soft piano and strings are present, but so is a lovely feminine voice. The strings are gorgeous. The arrangement is excellent. But, as I mentioned before, there is nothing remotely rock-related about this song- nothing. The trumpets add a new layer, but it's an out-of-place one. Overall, it's classical music, but at least it's beautiful.

Report this review (#213899)
Posted Monday, May 4, 2009 | Review Permalink
ProgShine
COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
5 stars My CD collection is not that huge, but not that small either, I've got around 500 titles on the shelf (by July 2013). When you have a considerable amount of CDs (LPs) it is very common that you overlook some titles. That's just what happened with the first After Crying album.

I have had Overground Music (1990) for 4 years now and I couldn't remember details about it. Because of this I decided to re-run over my collection and mini-review everything.

After Crying is a Hungarian ensemble that is just unique. Brilliantly unique!

This 'band' (if you can call them a band) is not an ordinary every day Prog, no, they're different. To begin with, their lineup: Csaba Vedres (vocals and piano), Péter Pejtsik (vocals and cello), Kristóf Fogolyán (flute), Zsolt Maroevich (viola). On this album also played Judit Andrejszki (vocals), Pál Makovecz (trombone), Ottó Rácz (oboe), Aladár Tüske (bassoon) and Balázs Winkler (trumpets). Can you see your everyday Prog? No! Cause it isn't!

Each classical instrument takes the role of the electric ones with superb results. Like in the Jazz Club feeling of 'European Things (Hommage ŕ Frank Zappa)'. They also have 2 vocalists, which is the fact that always amused me. Csaba is the main one while Péter gives his unique interpretation to the 'ballads' 'Don't Betray Me' and 'Madrigal Love Part One'. You've got to love their heavy accents, it gives After Crying's music an unique charm.

I really can't find any weak track on Overground Music (1990). Even the silly 'Madigral Love Part Free' has its role.

My thought after listening Overground Music (1990) is that After Crying IS Prog! I mean, many times you listen to a Prog album that has less Progresive Music than in one of the songs of this guys. After Crying is more Prog than 95% of the Prog Metal bands, for example.

Overground Music (1990) is gorgeous, hypnotic, with intriguing lyrics, beautiful and above all? unique! Essential!

Key track: All

Report this review (#286088)
Posted Saturday, June 12, 2010 | Review Permalink
Mellotron Storm
PROG REVIEWER
4 stars Every AFTER CRYING album I have seems to sound different from the next one even though we always get that classical vibe with cello, viola, bassoon, trombone, trumpet, aboe and flute. Add bass, synths and piano along with vocals and there you have it. No guitar or percussion here makes this sort of unique i'd say. This is different from the rest of their recordings for a couple of reasons. First the vocals are in English instead of their native toungue (Hungarian) like the following albums, and there is this humour that brings Canterbury to mind at times with the lighter vocals. I thought of WIGWAM at times as well. Check out the title of this album "Overground Music" instead of a popular term "Underground Music".

The first track "European Things" is a tribute to Frank Zappa. It's light and classical sounding with piano and strings standing out.The male vocals remind me of WIGWAM. Flute before 3 minutes followed by female vocal melodies. Piano and flute lead late as well. "Don't Betray Me" features male vocals,piano and aboe but we do get horns joining in as well. "Confess Your Beauty" opens with fast paced piano and vocals.The vocals get pretty passionate from time to time. Flute and strings come and go. I really like the strings after 3 minutes. Piano and bass take over 4 1/2 minutes in.

"Madrigal Love Part One" is a short vocal/piano piece. "...To Black..." features more vocals and piano but aboe, strings and other sounds help out here. Horns before 2 1/2 minutes. "Madrigal Love Part Two (Over Every Sea)" is more uptempo with vocals and piano. Some brief horns after a minute then female vocals before 2 minutes. Male vocals return later. "Madrigal Love Part Free" is quite jazzy to start but it changes quickly. "Shining (...To The Powers Of Fairyland)" has this heavier than usual opening then it turns pastoral with female vocals. Piano and strings only before 3 minutes. Aboe after 4 minutes in a beautiful section. Female vocals are back 6 minutes in. That opening heavier sound is back after 8 1/2 minutes.

It took a while but I do really like this. It's challenging yet whimsical, complex yet humerous.The vocals take some abuse from reviewers but for me it's part of the charm.

Report this review (#336537)
Posted Saturday, November 27, 2010 | Review Permalink
BrufordFreak
COLLABORATOR
Honorary Collaborator
4 stars This debut album from Hungary must be heard to be believed--so rich and mature are its constructs and performances. Steeped in classical training and traditions, the band also shows the influences of Phase Two King Crimson, Keith Emerson, Frank Zappa, big band-era jazz, as well as Hungarian folk and "Minimalist" classical traditions. The heavily accented (though surprisingly similar to John Wetton) male vocals are often derided and criticized, but, if you can get past this, the music here is quite heavenly. Plus, the female vocals (as rendered by Judit Andrejszki) are sublime and quite top notch/professional. But it's the unusual piano-strings-&-brass/woodwinds uses that really make this album--and this group--stand out from all other music being done at the time (or maybe of all time). Complicated symphonic structures within a rock (though some question its "rock" foundations--quite justifiably as there is little drum-and-bass rhythm foundation and guitars are totally absent) format. Quite remarkable.

I repeat: This is a debut album! I can think of few if any debut albums that have this kind of maturity of composition and performance (Hybris?) Too much is demerited for the heavily accented voices of the male vocalists--especially since one has a voice remarkable for its similarity to that of legend JOHN WETTON. Balance that with the virtuosic voice of female singer Judit Andrejszki, and the virtuosic play from all of the other instrumentalists but then add the fact that this music is deeply engaging, often amusing, and incredibly creative in its conception and I cannot conclude anything other than I am listening to the fully realized work of master music makers. If you disagree, then I challenge you: You try to perform it!

There is a valid issue raised with respect to this music's inclusion into the "rock" world: There are no guitars and very little bass-and-drum rhythm. But then, where does it belong? Jazz? Avant-garde? Post Rock? Neo-classical?

1. European Things (Hommage Ŕ Frank Zappa) (8:27) 2. Don't Betray Me (3:02) 3. Confess Your Beauty (6:50) 4. Madrigal Love Part One (2:14) 5. ...To Black... (5:05) 6. Madrigal Love Part Two (Over Every Sea) (3:00) 7. Madigral Love Part Free (0:51) 8. Shining (...To The Powers Of Fairyland) (10:44)

Total Time: 40:13

Favorite selections: the "Madrigal Love" series (22:02) especially the 11-minute "Shining (...to the Powers of Fairyland)" (10:45) (19/20) = 9.5 finale; the gorgeous piano playing and John Wetton voice stylings of "Confess Your Beauty" (6:53) (13.5/15), and; the Crimsonesque opener, "European Things" (8:28 (17/20).

Also, as a gift to the world in a period virtually bereft of quality symphonic "rock" music, this stands out. Brave, impassioned, and unusual. To this day. It is one for the ages. An inspiring reminder to those listening in 1990 (and listening still): "This is what music can do!!"

Report this review (#459554)
Posted Sunday, June 12, 2011 | Review Permalink
Warthur
PROG REVIEWER
2 stars After Crying always seem to do something different with each of their albums, and whilst this does mean they're one of the most original and inventive prog bands out there it also means that liking one album doesn't necessarily mean you'd like the others from the same period of their career. Whilst I am very fond of the album after this one, Overground Music falls flat with me. Part of it is the vocals, which take on a whimsical and overly twee tone that is far removed from the wonderful use of vocals which subsequent releases prove the band is capable of; another part is that the compositions tend to meander and feel rather aimless. Either way, it's not a favourite.
Report this review (#600898)
Posted Sunday, January 1, 2012 | Review Permalink
5 stars Overground Music is a very special piece of art indeed, it is one of the closest music I have heard that reminds me how powerful arts can be.

The musicians certainly achieved the perfect balance among talent and their instruments, this means that between the subconscious feeling and the technique, they have revealed its true meaning on expression.

After Crying just did an incredible unbelievable virtuous album but at the same time it contains the passion that it needs to include sensitivity.

This record opened, unconsciously, the path for me through arts, and somehow awakened a part of me that gave me the chance to understand and discover the art of playing the piano from inside-out and it helped me become a self-taught pianist.

Confess Your Beauty instrumental section is a masterpiece that has transcended the idea of a solo section in a song to me... behind the inspiration for that section is where relies the mysterious ingenious and intellect of men...some fantastic achievements like this one gives a certain meaning to our existence.

Listening to this album is when I remember that the journey really began. It might work as well for others and I hope it does. Many records have helped to awake the "ears of my ears" but after this album it became a certainty. I really believe that albums like this one teaches us the most valuable things in life.

Highly Recommended!

"What moves men of genius, or rather what inspires their work, is not new ideas, but their obsession with the idea that what has already been said is still not enough."

- Eugene Delacroix

Report this review (#1138363)
Posted Wednesday, February 26, 2014 | Review Permalink
3 stars A pretty interesting and original piece of music. As usual for After Crying, due to their classical music education, this style is the cornerstone of their music. The music is quite experimental, no fixed structure, recurring motives and NO rock guitar at all! The vocals sound strange, the first song reminds me of "ELP" vocal and the accent is quite horrible - but what can you expect when the Iron curtain had fallen just 1 year ago? The first track is at least quite dynamic. The second track is more conventional with a steady structure and interesting melody. Then comes virtuosic classical piano performance in "Confess your beauty" - really a standout track. Not so good vocals is at least balanced by sparse instrumentation in the next short track. The last track is an attempt at another progressive track - opus. Brass instruments sound like fanfares. Thankfully, the listener can fully focus on the instruments as there are no vocals.
Report this review (#2047263)
Posted Tuesday, October 23, 2018 | Review Permalink

AFTER CRYING Overground Music ratings only


chronological order | showing rating only

Post a review of AFTER CRYING Overground Music


You must be a forum member to post a review, please register here if you are not.

MEMBERS LOGIN ZONE

As a registered member (register here if not), you can post rating/reviews (& edit later), comments reviews and submit new albums.

You are not logged, please complete authentication before continuing (use forum credentials).

Forum user
Forum password

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.