FOUR SIDES

The fourth studio album release from Canadian Ken Baird (and company) since 2013.

1. "The Oldest of Trees" (22:39) what starts out as a kind Prog Lite I AND THOU-like piece turns into something that sounds like an early-form of an ELP song before turning TONY BANKS-GENESIS in the tenth minute and beyond. Too bad the lead vocalist isn't more developed/adept cuz some of the constructs of the song's motifs are quite nice (though some are fairly weak for their simplicity). The seventeenth minute bursts into a passage that sounds as if it comes off of one of IQ's 1980s releases. Again: too bad about the weak vocal. (39.25/45)

2. "Eris" (19:46) opening with three minutes of wind, followed by three full minutes of spacey synths before Vangelis-like organ takes over in the seventh minute. Finally, it's showing some promise--even as the synth-organ becomes the lone instrument in the soundscape. Reminds me a lot of 1970s VANGELIS. At the 11-minute mark Ken's concerto for a Space Age is usurped by a fast-paced passage full of bass and drums to go with the Emersonian barrage of keyboards (organs, mostly). The music slows down in the fifteenth minute--maybe to make room for the piano that enters to become the dominant keyboard. The music builds to a proggy crescendo before slipping into a calmer synth-directed motif at the 16-minute mark. Nice transition with some really nicely synched drum and bass work to accompany the synth lead work. Unfortunately, this lead melody work gets a bit stale after the second or third run through. (34.75/40)

3. "Twenty K" (17:06) Sounds like practice/demo sessions or outtakes from Wind and Wuthering. (30.5/35)

4. "Moon to Follow" (9:37) a nice song that feels as if it bridges the individual styles of Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. (17.75/20)

5. "Afterthought" (4:21) almost classical piano played alone at first before being joined by electric bass and drums and then full complement of synths. This reminds me of some of the earliest New Age artists of the 1980s like Michael Jones and David Lantz (and even Vangelis). Nice composition despite sounding a bit dated and New Age-y. (8.75/10)

Total Time 73:29

Gentle, pleasant, melodic, simple second-tier NeoProg. Sounds like practice/demo sessions or outtakes from Wind and Wuthering. I will say that Ken and his band are improving in all aspects of music making: sophistication, composition, recording and sound engineering, as well as creating songs that are interesting and engaging from all perspectives.

B/four stars; many prog lover's are going to love this; to my mind, I still see a lot of room for improvement for this band--in multiple areas--though I will admit this is a great improvement over the band's first two albums (2014's Skye and 2017's Sand.)

P.S. Finally: Some album art that I find attractive.

Canadian artist Ken Baird has sent another new prog butterfly into our progressive path, an always most appreciated gift for fans of melodic excursions that are forging forever forward, carrying all the classic tendencies that has crowned so many legendary albums. He would never claim himself as some experimental innovator but much more importantly, he is rather a truly dedicated fan of our beloved genre, with the added attribute of being a consummate musician who remains devoted to the cause. His output is deeply immersed in his own style having dragged along the same core of local and loyal musicians since his early days as a solo artist back in 1996.

In another illustration of a recurring theme noticed in 2023 releases, this album kicks off with a monstrous epic, a nearly 23-minute rampage called "The Oldest of Trees", a mythical melange of symphonic grandiloquence and contrasting moods that encompass a wide variety of internal prog styles, from pastoral and melancholic, to apostolic instrumental flurries on the church organ as well as a plaintive vocal passages full of fragility. Ken displays a dizzying proficiency on the various ivories at his disposal, ably propelled by the rhythmic duo of Dino Verginella on bass and drummer Chris Lamont. Baird also infuses guitars as well as recorder, thus the pace is maintained at all times, balancing extended vocal parts with vibrant instrumental excursions. Like a fog bound journey through the feudal Teutonic countryside, even mentioning the town of Bremen in the lyrics, the musical narrative maintains the appropriate soundtrack, with endless adaptation and cinematographic vision. Yes, there is a stout Wind and Wuthering feel here, as Ken does have a Tony Banks influence which cannot be denied, especially when the piano, organ and synthesizer work get the spotlight shining on them, most notably when they interplay with each other. He certainly 'took us to a place where we could witness anything' on this eventful journey. The mellotronic outro by itself, is worthy of rousing applause. A magnificent blockbuster that should rate very highly among fans of elongated progressive vehicles.

You want more? "Eris" enters the discussion with another nearly 20 minutes of instrumental prog experimentation, taking the restrained, not-in-a-hurry route with a lengthy yet gentle electronic snowstorm that evolves like a winter blizzard, somehow unnerving and portentous. At the 6-minute mark, a glowing church organ rafale illuminates the aural space, as if some celestial being arrives to provide deliverance. Its Eris, the second largest (and recently discovered) dwarf planet in the Solar System! Ken goes from Banks to Vangelis on a whim, selecting a further orbit in his search for deep space. Halfway through, the churning organ, snarly bass and shuffling drums combine to playfully assess the new horizons, channeling some ELP/Greenslade in the process. The repetitive piano coda is mesmerizing, as the hard bass carves a rough furrow, liberating the supernatural synth to take a lavish flight into the deeper recesses of the galaxy. Very old school and I like it!

Hey! More? "Twenty K" adds a 17-minute job to the set list, showcasing the persistent as well as ornate piano technique that Ken masters with obvious impunity, which leads me to hear hints of classic Supertramp in the arrangement, the lively hushed vocals full of drama only accentuating the overall feel. Add some synth work that emulates horns, solid bass and drum work and a series of Kelly Kereliuk lead guitar solos and it just may be the crime of the century. The mid-section orchestral blowout and extended piano recital elevates this piece to the loftiest heights, lush with vibrancy and creativity, perhaps the finest piece yet penned by the Butterfly Road man. The haunting vocal is hugely celebratory, a crowning voice that pushes the buttons with newfound glory as the theme veers into a new vista. The powerful finale is expressed in another realm altogether, warmly symphonic, and extraordinarily expressive, an ode to joy of the highest order, a glory drenched vocal to finish off 'the time has come to head home'. Speechless.

Just under 10 minutes short (LOL), "Moon to Follow" swerves into a more melody driven environment with a sorrowful hushed vocal, elegant piano as well as dreamy atmosphere, vaporously romantic and highly infectious. Steve Cochrane guest on electric guitar, giving the track luminosity and injecting well warranted passion. The inventive piano shifts the arrangement into a lounge-like jazzy shuffle that is wholly unexpected, eliciting smiles I am sure, continuing on with a pastoral Wakemen-esque ivory outbreak, that serves to reignite the heartfelt vocalizings within an angelic finale.

A beautiful keyboard exercise if offered on "Afterthought", rippling piano and whistling synth combining with unfettered passion. A prefect 'au revoir', as an afterthought, of course! What is truly remarkable about this album is how within each composition, there is a continuation, as well as a sonic progression that just keeps evolving without going into any extremes, the layers perfectly sown into each tapestry, lovingly displayed for all to hear. Its perhaps titled 4 sides but it has 5 tracks.

5 postscripts

"Four Sides" turned out to be a surprising journey at times and that was especially evident on "Eris" that almost 20 minute second track. It's the only one without guitar on it and man I have never heard stuff like this on a Ken Baird album before. Ken being the composer/singer/keyboardist and more of the trio and add a bass player and drummer. Two return guests add guitar each on one track while Ken plays guitar on two other songs.

I have to mention not only the cover art but all the pictures inside all done by Annette Roche who is also back thankfully. Artwork of the year right here. You almost need sunglasses on one of those pictures in the liner notes it's so vivid and bright but all are beautiful. A gorgeous package and I was saying the same thing about their previous album "Wither Down" which is still my favourite MONARCH TRAIL record.

Oh back to "Eris" and the surprising thing about this one is the spacey soundscape that lasts 6 minutes. It just sounds so cool but not something you hear on a MONARCH TRAIL record. It's almost apocalyptic but not quite. Church organ I believe brings us out of that or at least eventually takes over. It then settles into a blissful state before a sudden change after 11 minutes with pulsating Banks-like keys and a full sound. Piano leads after 14 minutes before synths take us to the end. Such a cool track.

This is a long album at over 73 minutes and that opener at almost 23 minutes might be my favourite. I like the lyrics and have always enjoyed Ken's somewhat fragile vocals. I like that line that is repeated "stairs and halls... ahhh ahhh ahhh". For some reason Ken's vocals at 11 minutes remind me of his solo stuff. I'm such a fan of "Martin Road" and "Further Out". Synths and light beats end this track. There is a fair amount of piano on those last three tracks, especially the last two.

A very solid 4 stars for this 2023 release and I am already excited about the next adventure.

This is great!

It is time to praise once again the work made by Ken Baird (keyboards), Chris Lamont (drums ) and Dino Verginella (bass), who under the name of Monarch Trail have released four studio albums so far, being this one "Four Sides" from 2023 their latest.

What they bring here (and through all their discography) is an overdose of amazing symphonic / neo prog oriented music (with a remarkable exception that I will point out when writing about track two), where guest musicians such as Steve Cochrane and Kelly Kereliuk add their grain of sand with guitars. The album features only five compositions but a total time of 73 minutes, and it is curious and I think it was on purpose, but the song order goes from the longest to the shortest one, so yeah, it's a long journey.

"The Oldest of Trees" is a 23-minute track (longer than some average EP's haha), and it is indeed quite a journey full or richness of sounds and colours. As you can imagine, it is never a plain song, it has several changes in tempo, mood, instrumentation, different passages that could be place on a novel or any fiction book. The first minutes are soft, gentle, even Baird's voice is sweet as well as the background. Then at minute three one of the first keyboard explosions briefly appear and later a change in mood and tempo starts, led by those great Verginella's bass lines; there is a Yes-like feeling in this passage, and of course an evident neo-prog flavor in the vein of The Flower Kings that embraces its musical spirit. A great piano and drum oriented passage starts at minute six, sharing a mix of emotions, with some beauty on in but at the same time with some notes that create a bit of tension. The way they put new and new elements is great, so despite having long passages, not a single round is the same. I also love the vocal game and layers produced by them. Spacey and celestial atmospheres are being delivered after minute ten, the music develops new rhythms and passages, including one with a delicate acoustic guitar. Then it explodes again and it is impossible not to feel its might and be enchanted by it; and then, some more minutes with a mid-tempo and gentle sound until it fades out.

We have now the amazing and nebulous 20-minute "Eris", whose first passage is like floating on the universe and listening only to the atmosphere's sound, of course it makes sense judging by the song title, so an ambient-spacey moment is delivered in its first six minutes, which I could say was a positive surprise because if I heard this without knowing the author, I would never think it was a Monarch Trail's song. And though the sound changes a bit after the seventh minute, the spacey essence prevails. Here they changed the bombastic symphonic sound for an ambient prog-electronic one, more in the vein of Tangerine Dream, I repeat, a positive surprise. Just when I thought the whole track would be like that, at minute eleven the guys return to their original form and deliver eight minutes of wonderful instrumental symphonic prog with lush keyboards on it.

Yet another epic track, "Twenty K" brings a 17-minute journey for our listening pleasure. Vocals return here, soft and delicate piano first, a variety of layers made by keyboards; then after minute three a guitar solo appears being accompanied by bass at unison, while drums and keys mark the rhythm. A kind of Marillion-esque passage comes next with Baird showing his piano skills, creating a classical music universe. Though we have the amazing contributions from Lamont and Verginella (two amazing musicians, by the way), it is Baird who takes the leadership and is in charge of the journey, creating countless nuances and sounds with his multiple keyboards. Of course it is important to mention the great participation of Kelly Kereliuk on his powerful yet delicate guitar work. After minute 10 there is another nice change, soft neo-prog with an spacey seasoning, joining what the previous both songs / worlds / sides offered.

Now we have the shortest ones left. First "Moon to Follow" which could also be considered an epic due to its 10- minute length. Its a song full of cadence, soft sounds that provide a sense of ease and tranquility, rhythms easy to dig, great instrumentation that mixes once again neo prog with classical music and spacey atmospheres. The sound is so gentle and wonderfully flows, and it is great when Steve Cochrane's guitar solo appears, making a highlight but also opening the gates to a new passage.

And last but not least, the only true short song here haha, "Afterthought" which is a piano oriented track that, to be honest, could belong to the Rick Wakeman's repertoire. It is a nice way to say goodbye to this long but very good album full of changes, surprises and versatility.

As usual, Monarch Trail have delivered a high-quality album, a bit long, maybe, but wonderful.