THE LIGHTS OF A DISTANT BAY

Yet another one-man band beats the path to Progressive Rock Hall of Fame. Oh wait, is this guy just playing the music he wants to play?

Honestly, I didn't even know this is actually one-man band (and guest vocals) effort, that happened only when I checked the credits. What do we have here? Extremely POLISH Neo-Prog, soft and melodic, with tasteful COLLAGE-like arrangements and CAMELish guitar solos. The whole work is very much CAMEL- influenced, though I won't dare to call it 'a clone' or 'a rip-off', it's just clearly shows roots for inspiration in this case. If you're into melodic solo-guitar-driven Neo-Prog (French MIRAGE and Spanish DRACMA spring to mind too), check this one out, you won't regret. Recommended

This is a musical project by Polish multi-instrumentalist Kamil Konieczniak and singer Lukasz Galeziowskiejo, he owns that typical Polish melancholical undertone but his vocal contributions are very limited on this CD. The sound of Moonrise is firmly rooted in the realm of neo-progrock bands like IQ and Pendragon. The 8 compositions are very tastefully arranged with some strong breaks, lots of flowing shifting moods, a pleasant variety, a beautiful and modern keyboard sound and splendid guitarwork (from sensitive, fiery and howling runs to propulsive riffs). My favorite moments on this CD are the intense guitar sound and soaring keyboards in the opener The Island, the alternating Help Me I Can't Help Myself (intro with wonderful interplay between Grand piano and mellow keyboards and then strong work on guitar and keyboards), exciting guitarplay in In The Labyrinth Of The Dream, a spectacular break during Antidotum and a beautiful build-up with piano and keyboards to a compelling final part featuring howling guitar runs, goose bumps! I am sure this strong debut-CD will please many neo-progheads! My rating: 3,5 stars.

A personal note: this is my final review for PA

Kamil Konieczniaka is a young multi-instrumentalist who comes from the city of Klucze near Krakow.MOONRISE is his solo project,where he only recruited Lukasz Gall on vocals.Guitars,bass,drums and keys are all played by Konieczniaka himself.His first output entitled ''The Lights of a Distant Bay'' was released in 2008 on Lynx Music.

STYLE: As many solo albums by multi-instrumentalists,this is generally a quite laid-back album full of easy-listening tunes and a good balance betewen instruments.I would call this particular style ''melodic soft Progressive Rock'',where atmosphere and melody come first,over any kind of complexity.Without being a virtuoso,Kamil succeds to perform well in a series of well-crafted compositions with deep atmospheric keys,fine rhythmic parts,some decent electric solos,while the bass/drums work remains rather unnoticed.The album contains extended instrumental parts of soft musicianship and singer Lukasz Gall seems the appropriate missing piece in the puzzle with his non-accented expressive voice.

INFLUENCES/SOUNDS LIKE: Kamil seems to have been influenced a lot by the local Polish prog scene,his work reminds me a lot of SATELLITE.Parts of the album have a new age OLDFIELD-ian touch,solos are in the vein of PINK FLOYD,where at times early MARILLION come also to mind.The heavier guitar parts sometimes evoke ARENA.

PLUS: Very balanced album with hardly any boring moments.Despite its calm atmosphere,the album contains many changing tempos and alternating atmospheres.Nice guitar work by Kamil in places and great vocal work by Lukasz Gall.

MINUS: No obvious weak points,but this is unfortunately very safe music with no risks at all and propably it won't satisfy a more adventurous listener.An evident lack of originality as well.

WILL APPEAL TO: ...those after modern Polish prog,Neo Progressive and anyone,who prefers his music with heavy atmospheric and melodic doses.

CONCLUSION: This is another one of these cases,where an album makes a really pleasant listening,but doesn't leaves any great impression at the end.Nice melodic music,but very far from a trully interesting release.3 stars.

Lately I've listened to a lot of Polish Neo-Prog (unbeatable combination: ProgArchives and YouTube!) and found a whole new world of good music. The word 'new' refers only to the fact that these several bands I'm hearing for the first time, not that the musical style would be anyhow unfamiliar to me. MOONRISE is a good example of it. It's melodic, clean-sounding and well produced Neo comparable to Hogarth-era MARILLION and PENDRAGON with the emphasis on keyboards and guitars. Like the reviewers before me have pointed out, this music is "safe" and easily pleases any friend of accessible and melodic Neo-Prog. There are no bad tracks at all, everything is, in a word, pleasant. The negative side of it is that it's not very original or deeply impressive; the delighted first impression probably loses its power as time passes. It's quite obvious that the world is crowded with gifted bands like these, even if one may never come across them without the helping hand of Internet.

The core of MOONRISE are multi-instrumentalist and composer Kamil Konieczniak and singer Lukasz Gall. In this debut album Kamil plays all the instruments, which is remarkable as the music doesn't suffer at all of instrumentally narrow or thin nature. Gall's voice is pleasant, it reminds me a bit of Kim Beacon on Tony Banks's A Curious Feeling. The compositions flow nicely and carry also extended lengths (7-10 minutes) without losing the touch. There's emotion but it never reaches pathos; for example IQ packs their music with much more drama. This is mellower. But that's just fine as I often enjoy mellow prog. So, this is a very recommendable band if you enjoy safe and clean Neo-Prog. 3½ stars, rounded up for the good cover art and album length (53 minutes).

It never ceases to amaze me at just how much great music continues to come out of Poland. This is the debut album from Moonrise, who have put out two more since this was released in 2008, yet there is just one constant, namely Kamil Konieczniak. That's because this is a one-man band, with Kamil providing all the music with Milennium singer Lukasz Gall brought in to provide lyrics and vocals. Perhaps it isn't surprising that much of this album is instrumental, what is surprising though is that this never comes across as project as it really does feel like a band. He is no mean guitarist, but it is the keyboards where he shines, with some beautifully touches, especially on piano. This is fine neo-prog, with influences from Hogarth era Marillion, IQ and Pendragon vying with the likes of Jadis and Camel to be heard.

Although for the most part the guitar sound is quite different, it is with Jadis that he has the most similarities; but that is far more to do with the arrangements and approach than the domination of any single instrument. Lukasz is renowned for having a great clear voice, and here he shows off his best Paul Menel/Gary Chandler/John Wetton stylings, providing an additional level of class to an album that is already rich with it. This is something that the listener can drift into and get a great deal from, whether it is the wonderful arrangements, the melodies, or the clarity of thinking. Poland as a country is an incredible melting pot for great music, especially for prog, and there seems to be no end of bands that need to be discovered and heard by a much greater audience. Time to add Moonrise to that ever-growing list.

Kamil Konieczniak of Klucze, Poland suffered the same fate that many gifted musicians who crave the more complex arenas of the musical world find themselves experiencing. Coming from a small city he found it impossible to attract any band members to play music with so ended up doing what many have undertaken in the 21st century given all the snazzy new technologies popping up and that would be to become the entire band and play all the instruments alone! And that's exactly how MOONRISE was born. Mother necessity strikes again. Konieczniak developed his musical skills at a young age and showcases his amazing ability to tackle al the instruments in his debut neo-prog release THE LIGHTS OF A DISTANT BAY which showcased not only his multi-instrumental talents and virtuoso keyboard skills but also in how gifted he was in crafting catchy complex compositions that captured the essence of bands like Marillion, Camel and the spaciest sounds of Porcupine Tree and rolled them into one.

This album of eight tracks that runs a cool dreamy 53 minutes of playing time features Konieczniak as a one man band although Łukasz Gałęziowski was recruited to handle the vocal performances which are sung entirely in the English language. Much of the album though is dedicated to lengthy instrumental passages that showcase the neo-prog trademarks of heavy atmospheric melodic prog with Hackett inspired guitar sweeps, gentle bass thumping and percussive drive with the occasional bursts of metal power chord heft. Considering this album was completely played, recorded and engineered by Konieczniak alone it's amazing because it really does sound like a "real" full band even down to the electronic drumming which doesn't sound canned. Apparently this guy spent a lot of time crafting this album and paid attention to every tiny detail which is reflected in the high caliber quality of the album's easy on the ears flowing from beginning to end without any dull moments.

"The Island" starts the album off and sets the tone for a dreamy and very polished melodic prog sequence that sounds a lot like a more sophisticated version of dream pop with cozy atmospheres and a feel good mood setting that is followed by the album's lengthiest track "Help Me I Can't Help Myself." This track introduces Konieczniak's excellent keyboard talents with a lengthy piano opening and then a series of classically inspired procession into proggier territory. A bit of guitar heft is added on "In The Labyrinth Of The Dream" bringing some of the heavier moments of Porcupine Tree to mind as well as the track "Antidotum (Soothing Song)" which also gives a wink and a nod to Mr Steven Wilson. "Full Moon" on the other hand drifts off into pure bliss with a dreamy ambient sequence that slowly slinks and swirls its way through three minutes plus of lush atmospheric elegance. The following "Memories" delivers a nice piano performance with more ambient backing. The title track closes the album with an 8 1/2 minute playing time. This track is basically a ballad in an AOR type of cheesiness but works well and features a nice guitar solo.

For a one-man band Konieczniak does a remarkable job as MOONRISE on his debut THE LIGHTS OF A DISTANT BAY. While the percussion does seem limited in retrospect, given that this is such a dreamy ambient album where sweeping atmospheres dominate the soundscapes it's really not the main focus. All in all this is a well performed, well produced and instantly enjoyable slice of millennial neo-prog. While Konieczniak doesn't exactly craft anything particularly original here, the compositions are so carefully crafted and the exuberant passion so vibrant that many fans of neo-prog can't help but to succumb to it. While not a top dog in that particular nook of the prog universe, MOONRISE's debut is an interesting slice of Polish prog in the vein of Collage, Millenium, Quidam or Albion. There is definitely a slightly unique sound that the Polish neo-proggers exhibit with a sensual style that treads lightly on the senses where every cadence and motif are suavely decorated with urbane elegance and creative continuity.