A LIFEBLOOD PSALM

A promising band'.. 3.5 Really

Just received a PM from a member of THE TWENTY COMMITTEE asking me to review theior debut album A Lifeblood Psalm, so after listening it several times, started to write my comments, because I liked what I listened.

Some reviews I found speak of a Prog band reminiscent of GENTLE GIANT or ELP'.Honestly I don't listen too much of that (Except the intro of The Knowledge Enterprise-Overturewhich sounds as a fusion of Knife Edge and four men GENESIS with some extra and pleasant dissonances), but for the rest, the album sounds to me like a blend of 'Alternative / Indie with a hint of TRANSATLANTIC and a few mind-blowing passages.

It's also interesting to find in some parts of The Knowledge Enterprise-Conceivers And Deceivers a clear influence of YES, but more fluid and with a modern sound that hits us like a breeze of fresh air.

But my favorite song is The Knowledge Enterprise-Tonight because of the contrast between the soft guitar and piano entrance and the explosive sections, maybe if the guys of the band would had allowed themselves to fall in excesses and experimentation, I would be more impressed with the debut.

But let's be honest, the album is very good, the production is impeccable and the musicians are very skilled, but sadly they go for a relatively safe path full of nice melodies and assumed few risks that I'm sure they are very capable to take, because when they dared, the album reach its peak like in The Knowledge Enterprise-Finale, which is sadly too short.

So, it's time for the rating, and it's hard, being that I believe they deserve at least 3.5 stars, but our system doesn't allow this, so as in the case of ELP and their debut, I will go with 3 stars, a good starting point for a band that I'm sure will give much more in future releases.

Highly recommended for fans of soft melodic Crossover Prog with very interesting tracks.

One of the major benefits of being involved with a site such as www.progarchives.com is that I am sometimes approached by a band that have seen some of my reviews, asking whether I would be interested in writing about their latest album. Such is the case with The Twenty Committee who was only formed in 2012, but have already released their debut album. Now, I am a recent member of the Crossover Team so wasn't involved when these guys were submitted, but I can see totally why my colleagues voted to include these guys in that subgenre, as they are mixing pop sensibilities (think Coldplay) with progressive (think Gentle Giant) with rock (think John Miles and City Boy).

The result is something that is complex, simple, yet stacked full of melodies and vocal harmonies that many bands would give their eye teeth for. I am always a sucker for a good key change, and the use of that technique in 'How Wonderful' provides an added sense of drama that has already seen twin lead vocals, twin lead guitars, being driven along by piano with the whole band just firing. In many ways it reminds me of the first time I came across Salem Hill, with the same sense of constrained power that gives them a real edge. There are loads of nuances and frills just thrown in that add to the overall sound and feel, and the more I play it the more I like it. Although they don't contain the menace and angst of Discipline, they definitely have something in common with them in the way that a pure piano sound is so important to much of what they do.

In many ways it is quite commercial, and these guys definitely understand late Seventies melodic rock (without ever falling into the sappiness of mass AOR). Whatever song I am listening to is the favourite, and the main question to ask is given that they have delivered this so quickly what have they got left? I know that at the end of the year this is going to be sitting comfortably inside my Top Ten. For more details visit www.thetwentycommittee.com

The Twenty Committee's "Lifeblood Psalm" is a great debut for this American Crossover band.

The 'Intro' is spoken dialogue atmospherics merging into the Neal Morse like 'How Wonderful'. There is a strong melody and measured cadence with clear easy listening vocals from Geoffrey Langley. He is also terrific on keyboards. Also on vocals is Justin Carlton, who plays guitars, along with Steve Kostas. The rhythm is left up to Richmond Carlton on bass, and harp, and Joe Henderson plays drums.

'Her Voice' is a 10 minute mini epic with an extended lead break that soars heavenly, and features awesome speed picking and glorious string bends. It is a brilliant lead solo following a standard style opening song structure. The lead break really jolts the ear after such an easy listening vibe on the opening. Eventually the track settles down again into soft vocals and syncopated percussion. A wah-wah pedal is utilised to maximum effect in the next guitar outbreak and then some ELP style keyboard with that Hammond sound grinds the track to a conclusion.

'Airtight' is next, opening with Led Zeppelin style acoustics and string pads lending a symphonic feel. Very smooth vocals speak of soothing themes; "I'll be the one that sings you off to sleep in this fairy tale". It is a nice break from the mayhem previous and leads to the colossal finale epic.

'The Knowledge Enterprise' is in 5 parts, sliced up nicely into components that tell a story with Christian principles scattered throughout.

'Overture' opens proceedings with classical piano runs over an odd time sig augmented by soaring lead guitar, and outbreaks of metal riffing. The mood shifts remind me of Transatlantic or Dream Theater, heavy tension to the release of bright keyboards. The synth break is incredible as the metal guitar chugs some speed tempos.

'Conceivers and Deceivers' continues the epic with a song using a fractured time signature and crystalline vocals with lush harmonies. It moves along beautifully with chiming guitar and relentless keyboard runs.

'Tonight' settles into a slow moody melancholy with some grand violin sounds and a sparkling piano melody. The dreaminess in the tone is unmistakable as Langley sings of forsaken love, the search for truth, "I will be all you need in time you will see"? and "the walls that you built will fall down at your feet."

'With These Eyes' is the next part of the track, beginning with heavy staccato stabs of music, then it locks into a 4/4 standard pop feel. The faster tempo is bright, and the melody feels similar to previous songs, rather than its own song. It does have many breaks from heavy to light shades, but this segment is the most mainstream approach thus far. It even has some kitsch lyrics "starlight, starbright, first thing I burn tonight? and rise out of the ashes tonight." The lyrics are a bit clichéd here but the music makes up for this, especially the lead break that screams and later there is a nice bubbly effervescent synth solo.

'Finale' ends the album with some hyper piano and retro synth sounds, and one more verse to wrap it all up. Overall, The Twenty Committee offers some excellent music with a few tracks that really excel in terms of structure and musicianship, especially 'Her Voice' and parts of the epic 'The Knowledge Enterprise'. The band have the same Christian themes found amongst Neal Morse albums but are never overbearing. At times there is too much emphasis on the vocals that do not vary enough for my tastes. The music speaks for itself though and it is an uplifting style of music shining a light in the prog world.

Okay, it's official. We need a new sub-genre called "Prog Pop" because these bands are coming out of the woodwork all over the place. Probably influenced by the likes of Frost* or ELO, bands such as Active Heed and The Twenty Committee are fusing pop into their music like it should have been there all along. I'm no pop fan, but I do have to admit that it sounds fresh and inviting, to say the least.

The Twenty Committee's debut album "A Lifeblood Psalm" is certainly an ambitious take on the prog style of music. After a great little intro, the album begins with a very "pop" song called "How Wonderful". Now, this may sound weird, but the chorus reminds me of something pop band Lonestar would do. That was a turn-off at first, but then the track progresses to more lovely lyrics and then a KILLER instrumental portion with flaring pianos, pounding drums, and excellent guitar solos. This, my friends, is what The Twenty Committee does best. They take a lovely, gentle-spirited love song, and then they turn it into a display of both surprising virtuosity and ingenuity. Soon enough, the pop sensibility in this album becomes more endearing than irksome. It did for me, anyways. If we love "progressive" music so much, sometimes we just have to sit back and wait. This album is a case in point of waiting to get the bigger picture.

Again and again, this group has impressed me, as this entire debut album is worthy of even the "strictest" prog fan. The classic sound of the fantastic guitars, the worthy drumming, and the excellent piano/keys straight out of Coldplay and Frost* are all more than just complementary to the whole experience. They are the main show, as the outstanding vocals pleasantly lead us along a path of love and music; from one stunning instrumental passage to the next. And, if you can't relate to the lovesick lyrics or even the bit of social commentary involved in the multi-track masterpiece, "The Knowledge Enterprise", then maybe you need to pet a kitten or play "phone" with a toddler. This is innocent stuff here. I have no problem with that.

The Twenty Committee is currently offering this great album for FREE on their bandcamp page, so I hope everyone gives it a listen. Believe me, you will get hooked on the gentle vocals and the wild displays of piano and guitar expertise, if you just try.

The Twenty Committee is a fairly new band that has been playing together only since 2012. It began as a solo effort of Geoffrey Langley (vocals and keyboards), but soon became a full band with the addition of Justin Carlton (guitars and vocals), Joe Henderson (drums and vocals), Steve Kostas (guitars) and Richmond Carlton (bass). And just after that, they started to record their debut album A Lifeblood Psalm (2013) that was released in April.

There's a whole new generation of Progressive bands that I like to call 'New Wave Of Progressive Pop'. These bands usually write pretty accessible music but by adding twists and pieces together they have much Prog Rock going on. Just like late 70's bands did, but this time with an updated sound. Few weeks ago I reviewed the Swedish Dynamo Bliss, today it is time for the Americans of The Twenty Committee.

A Lifeblood Psalm (2013) caught my attention right away because it was recorded in Neal Morse's studio Radiant Records, so I was expecting a minimum of quality here. And boy! It's good when your expectations are surpassed!

If you want to know what the hell I meant by 'Progressive Pop' in the beginning of the review, just listen to 'How Wonderful', the first proper track on A Lifeblood Psalm (2013). After a curious intro piece the band stacks with a great track. What we have in here is a wonderful Pop track with a great and catchy chorus but at the same time with Prog Rock sophistication. No wonder that the band decided to record their album at Neal Morse's studio. Their sound has a lot to do with Neal's solo career and even more with his Flying Colors project. All of this albums were recorded at Radiant Records, so if you know them you know what to expect from The Twenty Committee album in terms of sound.

'Her Voice' begins, and once again, the perfect Prog/Pop match, something like Coldplay meets Yes. Geoffrey Langley has strong compositions and a great voice, not just that, The Twenty Committee has excellent musicians. In special the keyboards and guitars parts on this particular track. The second part of the song lets the 'Prog loose' a bit. Great track. 'Airtight' is the weakest track on the album. It is indeed a pretty song, filled with classical moments and nice melodies. But it turns out to be a regular Pop piece of music that does not dare go to new places.

'The Knowledge Enterprise' is a five parts suite that clocks 21'31 minutes but unfortunately was divided into different tracks. Not that this fact gets in the way of the audition tough. It begins wonderfully with 'Overture', an intricate piece with many different sections and a good use of the synths. Bass player Richmond Carlton and drum player Joe Henderson has to be mentioned here cause they did a great work. The suite follows with 'Conceivers And Deceivers', this one continues the previous melody, but now with wonderful vocals and a good vocal melody all along. Great riff and synths too. 'Tonight' is an acoustic piece with guitars and piano that soon is joined by vocals, nice double ones. Towards the end, the rest of the band appears for some time and we have a nice 'power up' on the track before the follow up 'With These Eyes'. The fourth part brings back the initial melody, being a good one is great to have it back once again. 'Finale' closes the album and one thing is certain after the last second: the sensation that the band accomplished their goal!

The Twenty Committee prove themselves as one strong act. A Lifeblood Psalm (2013) is a hell of a great debut with great musicianship and great compositions. The only low point is that the CD doesn't have a booklet with the lyrics and info. But the cover is great tough! An album well recorded, well produced, well mixed and well played.

Hats off to a new great band!

(Originally posted on progshine.net)

THE TWENTY COMMITTEE are a young band out of the USA and this is their first release. It was recorded in Neal Morse's studio after band leader Geoffry Langley went down to meet Neal and played some of their material for him. He obviously was impressed enough to give this band an opportunity. Neal's producer Jerry Guidroz produced this album. The music is very melodic and accessible, really it's a collection of good songs.

"Introduction" is just that, a short intro piece of samples and piano before reserved vocals and strings take over as the piano continues. Melancholic is the word. "How Wonderful" just doesn't do it for me. It reminds me of some of the Christian bands I used to listen to back in the day. I just tired of the chorus very quickly. "Her Voice" is the longest track at over 10 minutes. I like this one. There's an almost jazzy vibe to this. Check out the instrumental section beginning before 3 minutes, some interesting guitar on this section that gets a little insane around 4 1/2 minutes. Nice. Vocals aren't back until 6 1/2 minutes in. Another instrumental section follows that puts the focus on the keyboards this time. "Airtight" is a mellow ballad-like tune with reserved vocals and strings standing out. Not a big fan of this one.

Next up is the closing suite called "The Knowledge Enterprise" which consists of five tracks. First up is "Overture" an instrumental that does impress. Some powerful stuff here, especially half way through. Then back to that pleasant keyboard led sound. "Conceivers And Deceivers" is vocal-led with more melodic and pleasant instrumental work. "Tonight" is mellow with relaxed vocals and piano leading the way. Strings do become dominant after a couple of minutes then back to vocals and piano. It's okay. "With These Eyes" is a dynamic tune with vocals. I like the keyboards late. "Finale" is the short track that ends the album.

I'd love to give this 4 stars but this just doesn't hit that spot if you know what I mean. If your into Neal Morse or the singer / songwriter style of music please check these guys out.

US band THE TWENTY COMMITTEE was assembled by Geoffrey Langley in 2012, as he needed a band that could perform some of the more demanding material he had made. Some months and many recording sessions later The Twenty Committee launched their debut album "A Lifeblood Psalm", opting for April 1, 2013, to be the official release date.

"A Lifeblood Psalm" is an elegant and engaging debut album by The Twenty Committee. Distinct, elegant arrangements with an emphasis on melodies and harmonies, mainstream oriented escapades is a likely description and general first impression, but with quite a few nifty, quirky details simmering beneath the surface. There is a touch of Kansas and Spocks Beard to this material, and quite a lot more of Neal Morse, and those who have an affection for the solo albums of the latter should be a likely key audience for this production.