KNIFEWORLD

[Verse 2] Clocked a trawler at eleven knots It was nothing to write home about, all that stuff I said Was true, I really mean that I just can't face up to what's happening with you here Now that you're half-dead [Chorus] In a half-life My sweet captain's sailin' away from me In a dungeon All that beauty locked in a cell with he

[Verse 3] Enlisted men hit the waves again I can't adjust the rudder ? man overboard! I never knew you'd capsize, my friend I said you were my brother, I thought you'd be restored

[Chorus] In a half-life My sweet captain's sailin' away from me [?] so hard to reach you This mutiny shipwrecked and beached you In a dungeon All that beauty locked in a cell with he

[Post-Chorus] Our wondrous voyages seem like a dream to me Since all our dreams were plunged into this fitful sea

[Bridge] In my dreams still You're just like you were, you're just fine In my waking You are never out of my mind

On the telephone at four AM You said you wanted to stay It came as no surprise 'Cause you were always that way

I made up your bed, I went back to mine Yeah I drifted, but then When you never showed, how could I have known You'd never show up again?

[Outro] Show up again Show up again, dear friend, oh Show up again

He wears his influences on his sleeves as they say with that opener bringing CARDIACS to mind big time. This really is a vocal album, I mean it always seems like we're getting multi-vocals coming at us, but it's also a powerful record. That hazy Psychedelic section on the next track "The Wretched Fathoms" brings Steve Hillage and GONG to mind and there's more of that CARDIACS vibe on the next song "Corpses Feuding Underground" but then I start to hear just this band the rest of the way for the most part. Kind of cool and surprising that Kavus brought in Andy's mellotron, the Andy from that great mellotron site Planet Mellotron. So we get it first on "No More Dying" and then on "Unwreckaged" where keyboards and atmosphere abound until it kicks into gear to this very catchy and heavy sound. Mellotron on my favourite track "The Money Shot" and this mid paced and powerful as vocals join in and the mellotron sounds best here.

Avant Pop, powerful and vocals are the words that come to mind when I think of this album. Far from perfect but every CARDIACS fan should own them some KNIFEWORLD.

This is the second album - of three this far - by the British act Knifeworld, whose leader Kavus Torabi has Iranian family background. He's written all the music and he sings and plays various instruments, mainly guitar. I think he's a terribly bad singer. Stuffy voice a bit similar to Steve Jolliffe's (on Tangerine Dream's Cyclone, 1978) but lacking the peculiar charm. The line-up features women with nice vocals, so it goes beyond my comprehension why Torabi chooses to sing most of the album's vocals himself. And sadly the sound in general is quite stuffy, unclear. The first reviewer put it perfectly: "In reality, much of this album is a pretentious mess. Melodies and instruments clash and play past each other."

There are many promising things. The arrangement varies nicely during the album (if the bad production hadn't blurred it all, that is), featuring seldom heard instruments such as bassoon, clarinet and violin. Saxes are used a lot. The main vocals on the opening track are by Melanie Woods and it's a pretty good composition, if rather restless. The edgy, eclectic coplexity and the use of male/female vocals remind me of the Finnish band DISCORDIA. But then it's steep downhill with the dominance of Torabi's vocals and the messy soundscape. I'm not saying there wasn't well thought precision in the sharp-twisting edginess, comparable to Frank Zappa or Gentle Giant. Maybe without those bad male vocals and with a more clear production this album would be a charming infant terrible.

In fact I appreciate the adventurous spirit, the sort of "we do what we will, like it or not" attitude. Though most of the tracks concentrate on the restless complexity with not much of an emotional aspect, there are also some more delicate moments. 'This Empty Room Was Once Alive' is very ripped-down sonically: a sparse soundscape with a toy piano amidst other minimastically played instruments, and vocals are shared by Torabi and Melanie Woods. Damn. So close to being a disarmingly personal eclectic prog album full of surprises. The fact remains that the lion's share sounds stuffy and messy. With some pity, I return this CD to the library and say adieu, probably we won't be seeing anymore.

"High/ Aflame" is a song that I feel shouldn't be the lead off track. The first 2 plus minutes do little for me mainly because of the singing but when it changes and becomes more uptempo with horns, drums and more I'm impressed. This song just feels like it starts the album off on the wrong foot. I do like the energy after 4 minutes though. "The Germ Inside" opens with piano melodies before they all kick in. This is uptempo as the male vocals join in. Again lots of energy and fun only I prefer this one more to the opening track. Check out the upfront bass. "I Am Lost" has my attention early on with the drums, horns and bass. Female vocals arrive as the bass and drums support. I like this. The horns are back but check out the bass! Male and female vocals after 1 1/2 minutes as the bass continues to be upfront. A calm with piano and more a minute later. It picks back up around 4 1/2 minutes and there's that incredible bass again.

"The Deathless" opens with drums only as male vocal melodies and guitar join in. Male vocals follow. It's more powerful before 4 minutes and I'm reminded of CARDIACS here. The horns honk and the bass is prominent. Vocal melodies and honking horns end it. "Foul Temple" is more like a Folk song with strummed guitar and the laid back male vocals standing out. The horns seem to breathe in and out after 1 1/2 minutes. "Vision Of The Bent Path" is just over 30 seconds of melancholic horns. "I Must Set Fire To Your Portrait" again features some really upfront bass. This is a bouncy tune with guitar out front early on then the horns kick in. Male vocals around 2 1/2 minutes.

"Lowered Into Necromancy" opens with intricate guitar melodies as the bass and drums help out. Male vocals join in. A hazy calm 1 1/2 minutes in as the vocals become almost spoken then it kicks back in. Contrasts continue. "A Dream About A Dream" is one of my favourites. Piano and male vocals remind me so much of CARDIACS. Just a beautiful song. "Secret Words" opens with acoustic guitar and some atmosphere as reserved male vocals join in. Female vocals help out as well. "Feel The Sorcery" is a bright and energetic feel good tune with female and male vocals trading off.

If your a big CARDIACS fan I think you'll love this album. There's just not enough enjoyment for me to click 4 stars.

Five star songs: the XTC-like 3. "I Am Lost" (7:14) (9/10) and the slower, piano-based micro-drama, 9. "A Dream About a Dream" (5:43) (9/10).

Four star songs: the simple and pretty, 5. "Foul Temple" (2:38) (8.5/10); 1. "High-Aflame" (6:29 (8.5/10); the simple and straightforward, 10. "Secret Words" (3:12) (8/10); the most integrated multi-layered song on the album (which ends up, ultimately, disappointing), 11. "Feel the Sorcery" (3:50) (8/10); 2. "The Germ Inside" (4:48) (7.5/10), and; the jazzy King Crimson-like and mostly instrumental, 7. "I Must Set Fire to Your Portrait" (5:37) (7/10).

Three star songs: the boring, drab, 4. "The Deathless" (5:26) (6.5/10) and the torturous, atonal hodgepodge that is 8. "Lowered into Necromancy" (4:04) (6/10).

If everything Kavus writes sounds like him, then this is one dude that I would not be able to hang around with very very long--his multi-directional freneticism is beyond my capacity or interest to tolerate. P.S. If Knifeworld has been admitted to PA, where is the daddy of these post-punk pop-oriented Brits, Andy Partridge/ XTC?

The list of musicians is quite long and that is probably one of the reasons this music is so interesting. The band is developped around Kavus Torabi, the guitarist and vocalist and he plays with the vocalist/percussionist Melanie Woods, the keyboardist Emmett Elvin, the bassist Charlie Cawood, the drummer Ben Woollacutt, the bassoonist, saxophonist and vocalist Chlöe Herington and the saxophonists Josh Perl and Nicki Maher. I must say it's so wonderful to hear bassoon and saxophone in prog rock and that's really making the music as good as it is. I haven't had so many experiences with bassoon, one of them is Stravinskij's "Rite of spring", but I can say that only that music in rock is a reason to listen to this album.

Knifeworld's music is well played, interesting, fine vocals from different persons, nice sweaping melodies and I got memories from Gentle Giant's, Gryphon's and Beardfish's music now during my listenings. I found the music fresh and unlike the most music I had heard, but always vibrant and colourful. The whole album is great but is has some highlights I would recommend as the first to hear: "Send him seaworthy" which has an uncompromising melody and a lovely bassoon play(9/10), "Destroy the world we love"(8/10) which has some Beardfish'-like parts, "I can teach you how to lose a fight"(8/10) which is a sum of the album, "Don't land on me" a long and inspiring song(8/10) and "The skulls we burried have regrown their eyes"(8/10) which is a little scary but interesting horror song. The whole album is great but the shortest song is the least interesting.

As a totally new encounter I was very pleased to like this as much as I did and Knifeworld is definitely a group I will follow and relisten to. I will rate this record with four stars(3.75)!

"I Can Teach You How To Lose A Fight" is my favourite track on here. Percussion, atmosphere and female vocals create such a good feeling for me. It kicks in around a minute without vocals but we do get some vocal melodies. Male vocals arrive after 2 minutes including backing vocals. So good! Love the horns too. The clapping 3 1/2 minutes in works as he almost speaks the lyrics, it then kicks back in. "Why did you chose those thief in your heart" is repeated a lot. Next up is "The Orphanage" a ROXY MUSIC styled track that is short but energetic, melodic and catchy. A nice laid back section around a minute in with female vocals then back to the main theme. "Send Him Seaworthy" has a beat as a bass horn or bassoon joins in. It stops as these very English vocals arrive. A relaxed tune with horns and more. There's even some organ around 3 1/2 minutes. I like the instrumental section 4 minutes in with honking horns and a relaxed soundscape.

"Don't Land On Me" is different. It reminds me of CARDIACS early on with the energy. A calm with piano, a beat and releaxed vocals take over after a minute. Love this stuff. How many vocalists are there? The tempo continues to shift. A calm with female vocals 4 1/2 minutes in then a minute later it turns surprisingly heavy. Man I didn't like this the first time I heard it and i'm still not that into it. Themes are repeated. "The Skulls We Buried Have Regrown Their Eyes" sounds amazing with that atmosphere, vocals and keyboards. The vocals remind me of Tillison here. "Destroy The world We Love" is my second favourite tune on here. A feel good start with this guitar/drum intro as other instruments join in then vocals as the contrasts continue. Love the calm halfway through that continues to the end. It's quite dreamy. "This Empty Room Once Was Alive" is a haunting track with reserved vocals reminding me of Steven Wilson somewhat. Intricate guitar and piano help out. It's experimental late. "I'm Hiding Behind My Eyes" is the over 9 minute closer. Picked guitar and spacey vocals to start. Piano before 2 minutes as horns and bassoon join in. It picks up before 3 minutes but the laid back sound will dominate. A cool sounding tune.

Without question one of the better releases i've heard this year, now I have to get their debut which some say is even better.

Surely you can hear a lot of influences. I can hear a bit of Syd Barret, a bit of XTC, a bit of Gentle Giant and, what the hell, even a bit of Cardiacs. The unravelling sounds pretty diverse yet very coherent at the same time.

One of the strongest assets of this band is the wonderrful horn section. The bassoon intro on 'Send him seaworthy' gives me goosebumps everytime. More prog bands need horns and above all bassoon!

This is not a typical 'prog' album and it was never meant to be. Still I think many prog fans would enjoy this. It is colourful, layered and complex psycedelic pop. Kavus has a background in RIO/Avant prog but let this not deter you; The Unravelling is remarkable accesible but with an adventurous nature.

4 1/2 stars but happily rounded off to 5