HAN UIL

"Eternally" on a frenzied jazzy prog rock, the plus is this bluesy drift in the middle of the course and the final explosive at will, so do not hesitate to ask. "It's You Now" in mainstream rock at the start; it is after that all the musical sweetness of this artist gets underway, bringing the listener to complex and varied progressive sounds, to an oriental fruity rock and mariner at times with Laura on the violin. "Walking in Circles" sax in intro for the eponymous title, story of a guy who gets lost in the jungle (urban?) hence the indicative cover. A clean sound that is worth its weight in gold with the instruments spread out, with the padded voice à la Robert WATT, a brief little gem and a finale in the middle of the jungle. "Love Can't Be Made" singular, nervous title, where the similarity with the voice of BOWIE is de facto, on an unclassifiable merger with the SECRET MACHINES. "Hold On" guitar intro DIRE STRAITS or Chris REA, flute, voice, explosive cocktail; the flute stamped Charisma Label for the English rural side is all the rage and sends on GABRIEL and the Genesis melodies; the guitar solo draws on Brian MAY in short it is the title with drawer, with musical stacking on a crescendo all that is more evolutionary and entertaining.

"Ring the Bells" again for a short nervous alternative rock title which denotes, which gives the impression of being on another album if not for the guitar solo which squirts and shows Han's paw, Christmas refrain. "One in a Million" superb crystalline intro where the guitar arpeggio is highlighted; melancholic ballad with its burst of progressive gaiety which sends on an aerial air where the sax comes to amplify the notion, it reminds me of Lana DEL REY; Han and Aldo show that a divine guitar solo is good for the ears; the sound can recall the symphonic creative madness of GAZPACHO. "The Cult" which reminds me of the band and makes me write that we are dealing here with washed-out, raw rock; quickly the suave voice takes on a delicate groovy and bluesy side that can destabilize; the guitar solo on REA, it looks like crystal; the contribution of the synth is reminiscent of GENESIS 3rd period for a time, proof of the titles that they wanted varied and which can be confusing. A tonic finish as if to say that you have to be on your guard. "Music Loves" on the AOR, the mainstream of the 80's, a touch of Gerry RAFFERTY for the contribution of the sax; a catch-all title invading your musical schemes with the Hammond organ for a thrilling vintage throwback; a musical fusion of this progressive limit that could be found among great artists and groups who did not claim to be prog but did it for their personal pleasure.

Han UIL does blues, mainstream rock at first, then he bewitches you gently but durably; hypnotizing, varied titles, I read immersive yes that's what it takes to go beyond the first exploded listenings and then open up to the progressive universe of this album where a number of elaborate sounds manage to explode all at once your progressive ears. You have there a singular musical exploration that should not be missed, in short I immerse myself in this step.

"Devil's night" and its solo à la GILMOUR, with a bit of ROTHERY behind, an ethereal female voice, operetta then almost shouted, reminiscences on GENESIS period "And then there were three", "We are united" with a latent intro and its typical voice leading to a development in which I hear a few notes of MINIMUM VITAL or ANGE, but the main thing goes on a tune that is both calm and complex as soon as the music takes precedence over the lyrics; note the voice of Theresa May relating the drama of the Manchester Arena. "The next door bully" focused on a title more fits in even the voice becoming more aggressive until the arrival of a Knopflerian and Beckian guitar. "Runaway" sets off on a calm, ordered blues rhythm with an unstoppable chorus, then a crescendo with backing vocals gives free rein to Han's fluid guitar; minimal break very gently before an explosive solo, the most beautiful "spleen and enchanting" of the album in my opinion. "Love and me" and its typical intro, don't look for MARK KNOPFLER is there: from beginning to end with even STEVE ROTHERY as a guest; the great part given to the guitar and a monolithic, almost phrasal voice, always bewitching, it's simple, of course, but it's beautiful! The last solo tears the ambient air even more and finishes its undermining work.

"The storyteller" with an oriental atmosphere at the start to give free rein to a haunting title where the drums are more present; a progressive development comes to light halfway through with a synth marking its presence, then the guitar again; new feeling between icy beauty and mono-thymic rhythm that makes you move your head without realizing it, complex title! "Give me fire" leaves on the same feeling, it's soft, from the accordion to the detour, the voice in the Nick CAVE well supported then a controlled explosion in the synth suddenly panicking and return smoothly, unstoppable: we are more alert to any musical prog development! "Failure" starts on JETHRO TULL as a prelude, the title is nervous, the neo-prog is very close, all in a short title, we are dealing with rhythmic breaks which do not leave anyone indifferent and which reinforce to lend the ear more considerately; the guitar and the synth fight for honor. "Chasing intentions" guitar by Han HUIL who must have heard a lot of Chis REA and Mark KNOPFLER, the notes are pure, crystalline and they flow from an endless musical cascade as I realize that it's is the shortest title! A purely orchestral interlude of great beauty. "A great experience" closes the album with the longest title on a blues atmosphere at the beginning until an explosive synth finale, the guitar coming from here and there distilling some alluring notes.

A strange, seductive album where one could get bored if one is looking for long neo-prog compositions; an interesting album in the pure crossover prog vein because mixing symphonic parts, opera, 80's and 90's prog, an album where each title in fact conceals its own development with twists and surprises à la carte, a rock album in fact who has the ability to pull out progressive developments at every corner; a trap album where replays give the feeling of being in an endless musical loop. A relaxing and exciting record, prog becomes an oxymoron and is definitely not dead. An album as it is good to be surprised.

I kept thinking I'd see actors and dancers:

The most baffling, challenging scenarios were presented- yet accompanied by slightly bemused, ironic vocals, in which the persona singing was distant, removed. It was jarring and dissonant- yet the music was at times bouncy, pop- inflected, even playful.

Themes like spiritual danger and possession, or bullying, or the harrowing experiences of runaway children who must do what it takes to survive- yet somehow maintain hope they can succeed- all sung with insouciant cool remoteness, all accompanied by cinematic song-writing bliss.

It throws the listener off-plumb:

And maybe that's the point, or maybe that's because I'm already more than a little off-plumb. Lyrics about abject failure, sung in that ironic, coolly removed style. The track itself is heavier than some of the others, and jumps right in, with some cool bass lines backing that vocalist.

I thought, "Until you get used to this almost casual, off-hand treatment of all manner of horrors, it won't make any sense."

But then, if you accept that premise, the album gels:

There are the bluesy, subtle guitar lines Han brings to bear in "Chasing Intentions", the imaginative drumming in "The Storyteller", and the way male and female vocals mix and match to create a kind of cinematic flavor.

The point on this album is subtlety, tone, feel, texture, melody- rather than bombast, or instrumental overkill.

For me, "Runaway" is the focal point.

Here's a song that tugged at me, describing the desperation of the experience of well, how many children and adolescents? How many cast away, or feeling unwelcome and unwanted, how many selling themselves for whatever measures of comfort they can have?

And all wrapped in that cool, ironic blanket of playful instrumentation and at-a-remove vocal style.

In conclusion:

An album, that once you accept these premises, delivers a strangely stirring, slightly upsetting message.

3.5 dramatic dissonances.

Originally published in progressiverockfanatics.wordpress.com

"Devil's Knight" starts the album off with a light weight song that is supposed to dark, but it comes across rather silly sounding, even with the high pitched female vocals that have a lot of vibrato. This hollow sounding music continues in "We are United" and "The Next Door Bully". The lyrics are not really that thought provoking, though he tries with some topics that sound like they could be current issues, but his vocals don't have a lot of emotion. The guitar work is decent enough, however, and there are some interesting synth passages in there too, but nothing really stands out.

"Runaway" is one of the longer 7 minute tracks, and has a blues style to it. But, there isn't a lot of depth or heart to the music, so it just isn't that convincing. There are some meter changes, but that doesn't save the music. It just seems like music we've all heard before, but done much better and with more conviction. "Love and Me" is boring, even when he tries to tap into his inner Mark Knopfler in the beginning.

As the album goes on, it really doesn't get much better. There is very little progressive sound to this album, it is mostly straightforward, but, other than some guitar passages here and there (usually they are cut short), there just isn't anything that interesting about this album. "The Storyteller" tried to go somewhere with it's longer introduction, but it mostly falls flat. "Give Me Fire" sounds like something this album needs, more fire. There really is nothing on this album that evokes any kind of emotion from me, as it all sounds pretty typical, and the vocals and lyrics are uninteresting. There is no real passion here either. It just stays safe throughout, but unfortunately doesn't have anything else to save it. It's not even a very good pop record. If you are to get this one, it would only be for the guitar work, but it's all stuff we have heard before, and even then it is nothing to get excited about.

Blending elements from progressive rock with relatively easygoing moods and melodies appears to be something of a forte for Han Uil, and he's not afraid to incorporate the occasional challenging feature either. And while his sophomore effort "Dark in Light" isn't one that will get a high place on my list of 2010 productions, it is a disc those who have a wide and liberal taste in music inside and outside of the art-rock universe might want to check out anyhow. Tastes differ after all, and my personal perceptions are just that, a subjective opinion from one single person.

This album has been kindly provided through his own website and I am not the one to say no thanx to a free album.

Han Uil is a very good vocalist and he is demonstrating that on a wide variety of music styles here. From twisted metal with some post metal vibes to straight progressive metal. Then we have Han Uil the ballad singer. And let's forget; Han Uil the symp prog rocker, the rocker, the blues singer and the funky jazz vocalist. In other words, lack of versatility is not a problem Han Uil is suffering from.

I guess I am starting to get reputation as the reviewer you will not encounter if you are releasing your debut album. But I am pointing out that most solo albums is a marketing ploy, a CV no less, where you show off all your positive sides in hope something will happen at the end of this process. For that is what this album is. A proof that Han Uil is a very good vocalist.

The quality of the songs ? As a song writer, and I presume this is his songs, the material is lacking in cohesion between the various songs here is not great. This is a very varied album in other words and it has some very good songs inbetween some rather uninteresting songs. But as a solo album, this is a very good album. Some truly great songs would be kind on his next album. But keep an eye on Han Uil. He may just pull of a great second album, my crystal ball is telling me.

3.5 stars