EMPTY SPACE ORCHESTRA

BIG BANG features nine tracks and clocks in at a whopping 65 plus minutes and closes with one of those that's-what-i-call-real-prog sprawlers that squeaks past the 20 minute mark in the form of "Pandemonium." This is what i call smooth prog as it features a lite airy jazzy underbelly that features a steady rhythmic drive with saxophone sensualities along with vibraphone sounds. The music isn't overly complex as far as time signature craziness is concerned but the tracks do like to slowly wend and wind through lush melodic cadences before finding resolution.

This is an all instrumental affair (with the exception of the hidden track) with the lion's share of emphasis lying on the keyboards (mostly imitating a vibraphone), the saxophone and the busy percussive drive. The bass is utterly subordinate and often the guitar is buried so deep in the mix that it is rendered inaudible. While most tracks are clearly delineated, the longer ones like "Read Between The Lines" features complete shifts into what sounds like completely separate tracks stitched together to form a larger one. The album is light and breezy almost like a Path Metheny album where sensual atmospheres are nudged along by the subordinate instrumentation.

BIG BANG may have an explosive album title but it's really quite subdued. Dominated primarily by piano arpeggios and smooth jazz lushness, the album never really takes off into the realms of space rock like the album insinuates. The track "Pandiamon" is probably the most experimental with a slow as molasses doom metal procession and one of the few examples of dominating guitar heft but even that gets tamed down a bit with a bit of sultry sax sounds. This is also probably the spaciest of the lot with swirling chaotic synth sounds brewing up a storm while the sax casually pretends it's at a smoky nightclub at a chi-chi jazz venue. The short piece "Post" conjures up Sigur Ros styled post-rock.

As for "Pandemonium," the 20 minute behemoth that swallows up 1/3 of the album's running time, it starts out rather abruptly with a beefy bass line followed by jazzy drumming workouts and a vibraphone followed by the smooth jazz sax. While the smooth jazz is the template, the atmospheric background is rather dark and slowly ratchets up the tempo to give this track a somewhat unsettling vibe. The jazz simmers for seven minutes and then silence. Ah! Now it makes sense. This isn't a 20 minute track at all but rather a seven minute track with some silence, some background noise and then eventually a huge percussion shebang that sounds like it's a party in a bunker and all this continues for another nine minutes.

First of all this album is way too long for its own good. It needs about 20 minutes shaved off and since the majority of the latter part of the album is nothing but prog tributes to Kenny G, i'd start there. The weird live free improv at the end is also quite unnecessary. It just clutters things up and doesn't add diddly squat. This is what i'd call elevator prog. It's light and fluffy like a big barrel of cotton and never really takes you anywhere. It's safe enough for nursing homes and the prog attributes are meager. It's OK and i didn't feel like i wasted my time listening to this but in the end it isn't something that invites a return listen as there isn't enough creative mojo to sustain such a lengthy playing time.

There are some forum members whose tastes and recommendations are a guarantee, one of them is Assaf (avestin) and since he wrote he suggested this band, I immediately went to their bandcamp and download some of their music. This US band named Empty Space Orchestra, is an instrumental outfit that offers a wonderful blend of styles, such as rock, metal, jazz and even post-rock. The result is great and original music that may please any of us.

"Dark Matters" is a two-song EP that let us know the quality and the particular style of this band. Though it is always better to listen to a full-length album, here I can say I am pleased with this couple of compositions. The first one is entitled "New Breed of Skank", with eight minutes of mind-blowing modern prog. It starts heavy with a combination of metal and psychedelic tones; half a minute later keyboards enter and adds an even more dramatic atmosphere. After a minute with those guitars, I can feel some kind of mid-eastern flavor. Later it changes and some kind of jam appears, with bass and drums playing constantly, while sax, guitars and synths make their craziness. I really love the energy, but I love more that wonderful blend of genres. After three minutes there is a change, some instruments cease while drums and bass never cease, and then a vertiginous structure begins and little by little progresses. After six minutes it notably slows down and seems it is going to end, but no, there are two minutes left in which they give us once again moments full of energy.

The second song is "Sad Panda" with almost ten minutes length. This one does not begin with the previous energy, on the other hand, it has an atmospheric, slow-rhythm start in which guitars make some noise while bass and drums play constantly. Then little by little it is progressing, adding new elements such as saxophone, which produce different nuances and make the song richer. It continues like that, with this mid-tempo rhythm and with those atmospheric and psychedelic moments. After five minutes it slows down, it is like resting, taking a new breath in order to continue the journey, which once again, is being built little by little. After seven minutes there comes a little passage when only drums sound and then vanish, it seems it's the end, but like in the previous track, it reborn and give us a few more, until it actually finishes.

Though this EP does not reach the 20 minutes, and according to my rating policy (which I can change whenever I wish) in which I do not rate with more than 2 stars these kind of releases, this time I will give it three stars without a doubt. I recommend it to you, and then you will understand why I am so positive.

Enjoy it!