A GIANT'S LULLABY

It was a long time coming, this follow-up album (I must say I feared for the group's future at one point), but the wait was certainly worth it: the second Kvazar album gives you want you expect from them, a lush-sounding retro-prog, that can only please a proghead's lower instincts. The group has suffered a few personnel changes - most notably the old bassist and guitarist having left, but not replaced by full-time members and they still present on two tracks - but this has not affected their sound or songwriting skills. A load of guest musicians (including the previously-mentioned ex- members) buff-up the sound and bring some additional twist in the music.

This second album is full of Gregorian choirs-induced by sampling and mellotrons (dare I say that this album is a mellotrons orgy and should bring regular progheads to numerous orgasms ;-) but the palette of influences is also increased to jazz and folk, making it an all-around more successful album (artistically anyway) than the debut. It is safe to say that Kvazar has matured and now started to develop their own sound (everything is relative of course since the dreaded 80's, though), but by no means are they groundbreaking or even novel, but their retro-sounding prog is sure as hell pleasant. Songwriting-wise, they stay roughly on the same canvas, writing lenghty (max 10 min) - but never elongated - tracks interspaced with some short and often untitled short passage (although they are under-titled Black Hole). The second track Choir Of Life does stand out from the rest of the album with its rapid upbeat folky mood, and a female guest vocalist from the forth track onwards regular sax and Fender Rhodes shift the ambiances ever so slightly to a jazzier realm, but the group remain truthful to itself even with the slightly Arabic-sounding Desert Blues and the definitely jazzy Sometimes. The last couple of tracks are a definite return to the more symphonic feel of the start of the album and the debut.

Certainly different than their debut yet a very logical follow-up, Kvazar is bound to become more than just a retro-prog group and I have a hard time waiting for the next album - hopefully it will be quicker than the five years span between the first two.

It lasted four years before Norwegian band Kvazar released a new album after their eponymous debut CD from 2001. Only two members survived these years: keyboardplayer/singer Andre Jensen Deaya and drummer Kim A. Lieberknecht. Kvazar has turned into a five piece band with additional guest musicians, including female singer Trude Bergli.

1. Flight Of Shamash (9:13) : The intro contains the impressive sound of a Gregorian choir, then Kvazar manages to create a great tension beween dreamy (fragile guitar, soaring keyboards and acoustic guitar), fluent and bombastic parts (eruptions with fiery guitar and organ), very compelling and dynamic with echoes from Anekdoten (a bit sultry and a propulsive rhythm-section).

2. Choir Of Life (5:36) : The music alternates between cheerful folky (flute, mandoline and soft way-wah guitar) and bombastic with lush violin waves and spectacular synthesizer flights.

3. Untitled (1:30) : A very beautiful track delivering warm Spanish guitar and soaring

4. Dreams Of Butterflies (8:30) : Here is my highlight on this CD, it contains lots of shifting moods and many surprising musical ideas: jazzy with violin-Mellotron drops, bombastic eruptions with majestic choir-Mellotron and sensitive guitar runs, an accellaration with a fluent synthesizer solo in a jazzy climate and dreamy with warm vocals and thin saxophone, unique!

5. Untitled (1:49) : A strang track with lots of weird sounds.

6. Spirit Of Time (8:42) : This long composition reminds me of Pink Floyd because of the spacey keyboards, the slow rhythm and the sensitive guitar work. Halfway a great break with sensational keyboards and dramatic female vocals. The Mellotron waves evoke early King Crimson.

7. Desert Blues (6:13) : A splendid translation by the band from the title into the music: a sultry atmosphere that make you feel alienated, we also hear strange sounds and a fiery saxophone.

8. Sometimes (5:09) : Here we can enjoy the distinctive Rhodes eletric piano sound in a jazzy climate with subdued guitar play and dreamy saxophone work.

9. A Giant's Lullaby (9:42) : This titletrack delivers many shifting moods, from a slow rhythm with mellow saxophone and dreamy with choir-Mellotron to a mid-tempo with swinging piano, everything is possible with Kvazar in this captivating composition!

10. Dark Horizons (8:03) : The final song is dreamy with twanging guitar, gradually the music becomes more bombastic but to me it fails to keep my attention, a bit disappointing end.

The words 'progression' and 'progressive' should be put on the banner of this interesting Norwegian band, they have made a strong, very varied album, ranging from classic symphonic rock to jazz, if you are up to this variation the new Kvazar will delight you!

Finally, complete agreement with our beloved Sean Trane, (I was wondering...) but we sure picked an exquisite band to trumpet, because Kvazar (Quasar in Norwegian) already had a stupendous birth with their first album , an original mix of deft, quirky and intelligent compositions supported by skilled musicians, in particular a brilliant drummer in Kim Lieberknecht, an obvious student of Bill Bruford, Mattias Olsson (Anglagard) and a few others . This highly anticipated sophomore release took a long time but was well worth the effort. Allegedly, the band suffered through crisis upon crisis, erasing all and beginning anew, personnel changes on guitar and bass but all for a very good cause. This album is great, perhaps even a classic prog monument: gorgeous artwork (what a great pic!) , a clean, straight production so typical of the Scandinavian School of Prog, shimmering orchestrations, again featuring savvy usage of the ubiquitous Mellotron , the incorporation of various jazzy tonalities by giving the piano a pool of light , inventive guitar contributions dueling with lots of hot sax (I almost wrote sex!!!) but all kept together by the stupendous percussives of Mr. Lieberknecht. He really deserves a studious ear as another new original phenomenon. Each piece is intrinsically different from the next, a multi-ethnic menu with Gregorian choirs, Arabian motifs, Spanish guitars, medieval mandolins, gritty brass and Scandinavian folk tinges . Never boring or dull, A Giant's Lullaby keeps you constantly on the alert, playing with aural emotions, never quite knowing what will come next. "Sing along Neo prog" this is not. Damn good symph-prog it is. Certainly among my top albums of the last 2 years. I cannot even try to figure out what their next move will be and er... when? This is as close to a unanimous review yet in Progarchives, must be a strong hint to recommend , no? Pentastar rating, hands down. 5 quasars

It's like this band has done a complete 180 degree turn away from the style of their debut album. I was actually shocked at the difference.The debut was sort of melancholic and at times trippy and dreamy bringing to mind WOBBLER, ANEKDOTEN and LANDBERK at times.This is nothing like the debut at all. I'm really impressed with this record though, but i'm just surprised at how much World Music and Jazz is in it. Lots of mellotron though.These guys truly have progressed and have "found their sound ?". Lots of guests helping out as well.

"Flight Of Shamash" builds with acoustic guitar, light drums and synths. Gregorian chants come in after a minute. I really like the guitar after 2 minutes in. A change before 4 minutes as guitar leads the way. Samples too. Great sound as it picks up. Vocal melodies as it settles before 6 minutes. Guitar is back a minute later. "Choir Of Life" has a Celtic feel to it and I like the mandolin and synths. The female vocal melodies are a nice touch as well, then she starts to sing. We get mellotron floods as well. Nice. So powerful 3 minutes in. Just a pleasure. Song 3 is an untitled instrumental. It's only 1 1/2 minutes long but it's so well done. Acoustic guitar, bass and drums as we get lots of background synths. "Dreams Of Butterflies" features some good bass early but check out the mellotron! There's a Swedish vibe as the vocals come in. Kind of jazzy too. Back to the original melody as contrasts continue. We're drowning in mellotron here. When the vocal return we get some sax. A heavier sound 3 1/2 minutes in with electric guitar and huge bass lines. Incredible tune. Song 5 is another short instrumental. Jazzy with samples.

"Spirit Of Time" is a dreamy song with a PINK FLOYD vibe that gets a little intense then ends dreamily again. Mellotron and sax help out once again. Great song ! I would describe "Desert Blues" as having an Arabic sound with chanting although it's mostly instrumental with some nice sax. Some good dark atmosphere as well. Man this guy can drum ! It gets pretty intense before a barking dog ends it. "Sometimes" is another favourite that is Jazz influenced with keys, vocals, light drums and sax standing out. Then the guitar comes in. Mellotron is impressive to end it. "A Giant's Lullaby" opens with lots of sax. It picks up 1 1/2 minutes in. Contrasts continue. Lots of vocals and mellotron too. "Dark Horizons" is an excellent song with the guitar getting some of the spotlight. Love when the vocals come in, its so uplifting. One of my favourites.

I really applaud KVAZAR and hope we don't have to wait another 5 years to see what's up their sleeves. As much as I like their debut this is just more powerful and they really did pull out all the stops. A very ambitous release that succeeds at every level.

Wow, this is what I call improvement! Kvazar´s second album took quite some time to come out, but, boy, was it worth it! While their first album was tentative, this one shows a band much more confident, mature and willing to experiment. Their songwriting skills and playing grew a lot in those four years between releases. Some line up changes also occured, with guitar and bass players being substituted. A host of guest musicians is also featured here, including some vocal interventions of female singer Trude Bergl (very good ones, by the way).

Their musical direction also changed: instead of the melancholic retro prog, lots of variety and new elements, like traditional jazz, jazz rock/fusion (the most proeminent influence here), eastern rhythms, gregorian chants, nothern folk and so on. Incredibly, all those elements work very well together giving the band a very distinctive sound where it could be just a big mess in less capable hands. And every track is quite a journey on itself, showing some great instrumental prowness (often in the King Crimson´s vein). The excellent, crystal clear production also helped to enhance all their incredible musicanchip and the strong arrangements. Once again drummer Kim A. Lieberknecht shines with his fine technique and inventiveness.

Conclusion: well worth the wait. The band evolved a lot and I hope they keep on this path. If you like eclectic and varied prog, with the influences I mentioned before, don´t miss A Giant´s Lullaby. An excellent adddition to any prog lover collection: 4 strong stars.

Viking Prog? Nordic jazz? Scandinavian bossa nova?

1. "Flight Of Shamash" (9:13) Viking Prog! Gregorian Chant-like vocals with atmospheric heavy prog. An astonishing and unexpected song. (18.5/20)

2. "Choir Of Life" (5:36) more traditional folk oriented instruments open before the rock/prog/jazz instruments join in with female vocalise. (9.25/10)

3. "untitled 1" (1:30) jazz-folk-prog interlude with Spanish-style acoustic guitar soloing over the top. (4.25/5)

4. "Dreams Of Butterflies" (8:30) female singing in English over jazz-rock-folk fusion. (18/20)

5. "untitled 2" (1:49) lounge jazz guitar with combo (4.25/5)

6. "Spirit Of Time" (8:42) space blues--not far from early Pink Floyd or Procul Harum or even Blind Faith. (17/20)

7. "Desert Blues" (6:13) psych/space rock with female Arabian vocal turns jazz-psych with sax, electric guitar, synths and other looped samples forging a OZRIC TENTACLE/JAGA JAZZIST mixed soundscape. Very interesting! (17.75/10)

8. "Sometimes" (5:09) lounge jazz (bossa nova!) with female lead vocals, jazz electric guitar, and rompous full chorus. (8.75/10)

9. "A Giant's Lullaby" (9:42) an psych-jazz variation the classic "Summertime" that builds and morphs in several directions (sometimes all at once!)--holding fast to a jazzy foundation no matter what speed or instrumental palette used. Very interesting, imaginative, and well executed. (18/20)

10. "Dark Horizons" (8:03) haunting melodic prog with a slight hint of jazz. Single lead male voice is interesting choice for the finale (especially given the way the album opened.) At 3:35 full chorus of voices, male and female, perform. Over the course of the second half of the song the band takes us through folk, bluesy psychedelia, Broadway, and--sometimes all at once! Fascinating! (13.5/15)

B/four stars; an excellent addition of unusual prog music fit for any prog lover's music collection.