MORE THAN A DREAM

Aussie Art-Rockers Unitopia were found by singer Mark Trueack and keyboardist Sean Timms in 1996 in Adelaide,when they met each other through a mutual friend and find to share similar tastes in the music field.The two of them wrote completely the debut ''More than a dream'',but due to heavy professional commitments this work was not to be released in the next years.During these years Mark and Sean decided to expand this project to a full-time band.Eventually ''More than a dream'' would see the light in 2005 as a private pressing.

Unitopia sound a lot like a multi-influenced US band,the inspirations come from a wide range of music grounds,so you can find elements from Classical Music,Heavy Metal,World Music,Jazz-Fusion and even Pop.All these combined lead to a tight Art Rock amalgam,very accesible and rich sounding.Vocals are either expressive or a bit of a let down,depending on the track.Musically the album is close to a winner,as the two musicians succeeded to add complicated music structures and different ideas into straight compositions,which speak to your heart and soul.Some tracks are closer to the likes of Classic Progressive Rock,like the long ''Justify'' with its shifting moods or the two-faced ''Slow down'' with the easy going starting notes and the excellent thundering grandiose classicism,which follows later,other ones are more in an Art-Rock vein,simple structures wrapped with rich instrumentation and multi-vocal arrangements.But most of them are quite good and certainly well-crafted.

The experiment,which started between two guys in mid-90's,seems to produce some nice- tasted fruits with ''More than a dream''.Maybe the title of the album indicates exactly what the band was trying for.And the results were satisfying.A band to keep an eye on and a warmly recommended effort.

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Posted Sunday, August 28, 2011 | Review this album | Report (Review #510758)

This is Australian proggers' first album and it shows - the arrangements and songs are somewhat simpler than on later albums. But a prog beginner often begins where a pop music zenith ends. Unitopia plays catchy, accessible crossover prog, equal times laid back and rocking, but with a crunchy gu ... (read more)

Report this review (#999272) | Posted by Progrussia | Tuesday, July 16, 2013 | Review Permanlink

"More than a Dream" is the Aussie proggers Unitopia's first musical statement, supporting values such as environmentalism, positive spirituality and a "slow" lifestyle. Not much wrong with those, I suppose, and neither is there with the music. Reflective mellow parts, poppish passages and various p ... (read more)

Report this review (#789936) | Posted by Morsenator | Tuesday, July 17, 2012 | Review Permanlink

With high ideals of world peace and environmental conscience, Australia's Unitopia use their music as a staging ground for their ? yes I get it - Utopian message. Mark Truack and Sean Timms are the guiding light here, providing lead vocals, songwriting and keyboards. The band is very tight, an ... (read more)

Report this review (#534940) | Posted by BGrosjean | Tuesday, September 27, 2011 | Review Permanlink

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