Forum Home Forum Home > Progressive Music Lounges > Prog Music Lounge
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed - Let’s Hear It for Citizen Cain
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Events   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedLet’s Hear It for Citizen Cain
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12
Author
Message
  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
kirklott View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 01 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 623 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 21 2005 at 17:52

Hey, to all good people on this thread, I also HIGHLY recommend the band Little Atlas. Amazing. See my review below.

You can hear sound files and order the album from www.progrockrecords.com and www.kinesiscd.com

My review: Progarchives asks you to confirm a 5-star rating, and there's little hesitation here: Little Atlas is the best new prog band I've heard in years. If I recall, I've heard some comparisons to Spock's Beard, which are unfounded because Little Atlas is better (with this album being on par with Spock's all-time best, Beware of Darkness). Historical references: you hear a bit of the atmosphere of Genesis, the expertise of Yes, the quirkiness of Gentle Giant. Where to start: the musicianship from everyone is excellent (the one downside - a bit too much guitar from the King Crimson Discipline era). The vocals are interesting and unique: so many prog singers are either Gabrielesque, or airy fairy Anderson, but the vocals are - in a happy way - more similar to someone belting out fantastic tales at an old pub. The songs are epic in structure and very serendipitous, yet somehow Little Atlas manages to achieve in say, 7 minutes, what might take a lesser band 14 minutes. Each track is a mini-epic. But the best quality is the songwriting: the melodies are timeless, remarkable, and stay with you. This is a great album recommended to any prog fan.

"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin
Back to Top
dalt99 View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: April 23 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 454 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 21 2005 at 19:59
Originally posted by kirklott kirklott wrote:

Originally posted by Salmacis72 Salmacis72 wrote:

I have all of their albums. Somewhere But Yesterday is my favourite, but I also love Raising The Stones (what an intro!!), and their most recent Playing Dead, which is autographed by the whole band.

OK, Salmacis, my soul brother along with Dalt99 and Cinema, do Raising the Stones and Playing Dead ever get upbeat, like To Hack the Enamel Faced Queen or the title track of Serpents?

I had Raising the Stones, and it sounded like two dudes with keyboards doing this lethargic stuff without melodies. I jetted it quick. Perhaps I didn't listen to it enough times? And as for Playing Dead, I wasn't impressed by the MP3 samples on the band's web site. Perhaps their not good clips?

Again, they just didn't sound like the all-around, 5-star classics that are Somewhere But Yesterday and Serpents.

What's your read on this?

My first Cain cd was Raising the Stones and while I liked it alot at first listen, it took me more than 5 or so listens (intense listens) to really LOVE it. I didn't care much for the different moods of the songs at first the way it was technical one song, then atmospheric the next, BUT now I totally get what they are doing and I love every song on the cd. If you only listened to it a couple times AND was trying to compare it to their first 2 albums while listening to it, then you really need to give it another shot. The melodies are ALL OVER THE PLACE and wonderful. It's just a much more complicated album than the first two but still wonderful. It is much less like Genesis than the first two albums though - a bit more like ELP with the keyboard playing in parts. Maybe that threw you off too.

I will be honest in saying that I haven't really gotten into "Playing Dead" yet. It's a LOT harder to find the melodies IMO. I haven't had much luck except for a couple of the songs. I do like the guitar sound however.
Best of 2006 that I've heard:
PFM-Stati Di Immaginazione
Zenit-Surrender (Best "unknown" album)
Oaksenham - Conquest of Pacific
2007:
Phideaux - Doomsday Afternoon
La Torre Del Alchimista - Neo
Back to Top
Cinema View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 25 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 487 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 21 2005 at 21:27
Originally posted by kirklott kirklott wrote:

Originally posted by Cinema Cinema wrote:

My Cinema user
name is a nod to the name the band adopted during the 90125 era When Jon
Anderson rejoined they changed their name back to Yes.
[/
P]

Did you know 90125's original name was The New Yes Album?
That would have been cool...albeit a little confusing.

[/QUOTE]

I did indeed know that. Did you know that, way back when Yes first started,
the name of the band was going to be Life? It only changed to Yes when
Peter Banks extemporaneously suggested "Yes" as a name.
Back to Top
BiGi View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: June 01 2005
Location: Italy
Status: Offline
Points: 848 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 04:51
The two tracks available on Progarchives (Silently seeking Euridice and Children of Fire) made a very good impression on me.
I love Peter Gabriel's voice, and Cyrus is quite similar.

I must admit, however, that the first run of Serpents in Camouflage has left me somewhat disappointed: the songs are not bad, but they could have used some editing, since they seem to linger pointlessly for too long...I must anyway give it a second listen
A flower?

Back to Top
sigod View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: September 17 2004
Location: London
Status: Offline
Points: 2779 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 08:25
Citizen Cain - Hooray!
I must remind the right honourable gentleman that a monologue is not a decision.
- Clement Atlee, on Winston Churchill
Back to Top
symphomaniac View Drop Down
Forum Newbie
Forum Newbie


Joined: June 06 2005
Status: Offline
Points: 13 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 09:11

Great band - great, and totally unappreciated (by many), music.

Anyone know whatever happened to them ?????

 
Back to Top
kirklott View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 01 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 623 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 11:44

Well, their last release (2002) took 5 years, so there's hope yet. I just hope they return to a 5-person line up and create something as great as Somewhere But Yesterday. And to think that album only took a year. (progarchive ratings below). And btw, I think Serpents is easily as good as Yesterday.

1993 3.67
Excellent addition to any prog music collection
(9 ratings) 		Serpents In Camouflage Major Release
1994 4.90
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive music
(10 ratings) 		Somewhere But Yesterday Major Release
1996 2.25
Collectors/fans only
(4 ratings) 		Ghost Dance Major Release
1997 3.10
Good, but non-essential
(10 ratings) 		Raising The Stones Major Release
2002 3.50
Excellent addition to any prog music collection
(12 ratings) 		Playing Dead Major Release
"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin
Back to Top
Cinema View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: August 25 2004
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 487 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 12:28
[QUOTE=kirklott]

Well, their last release (2002) took 5 years, so there's
hope yet. I just hope they return to a 5-person line up and create
something as great as Somewhere But Yesterday. And to think
that album only took a year. (progarchive ratings below). And btw, I think
Serpents is easily as good as Yesterday.



I completely agree with Kirklott, Serpents is absolutely as good as
Yesterday.

And by the way, has anyone paid attention to Cyrus' lyrics? They're quite
bizarre. Definitely fascinating in there own right.

Edited by Cinema
Back to Top
Cesar Inca View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: May 19 2004
Location: Peru
Status: Offline
Points: 4888 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 17:40

Originally posted by sigod sigod wrote:

Citizen Cain - Hooray!




THAT'S RIGHT !!  'Somewhere' and 'Raising' are among the best 90s symphonic (neo-)prog recordings I've ever got to know. Strong compositions, complex arrangements, robust performances, and as a plus, hyper-fantastic lyrics, very much influenced by the apocalyptical delusions of the great poet-visionary John Milton.

 
Back to Top
Cesar Inca View Drop Down
Special Collaborator
Special Collaborator

Honorary Collaborator

Joined: May 19 2004
Location: Peru
Status: Offline
Points: 4888 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 17:42

Originally posted by dalt99 dalt99 wrote:

My first Cain cd was Raising the Stones and while I liked it alot at first listen, it took me more than 5 or so listens (intense listens) to really LOVE it. I didn't care much for the different moods of the songs at first the way it was technical one song, then atmospheric the next, BUT now I totally get what they are doing and I love every song on the cd. If you only listened to it a couple times AND was trying to compare it to their first 2 albums while listening to it, then you really need to give it another shot. The melodies are ALL OVER THE PLACE and wonderful. It's just a much more complicated album than the first two but still wonderful. It is much less like Genesis than the first two albums though - a bit more like ELP with the keyboard playing in parts. Maybe that threw you off too.

I will be honest in saying that I haven't really gotten into "Playing Dead" yet. It's a LOT harder to find the melodies IMO. I haven't had much luck except for a couple of the songs. I do like the guitar sound however.

"Raising" was also my first CC experience: I was impressed but also quite confused. it's not a reccomended entry - "Serpents" and "Somewhere" are. It took me a while to notice and enjoy the geinus of the "Raising" repertoire - purchasing their two first CDs certainly helped me to put things in perspective regarding all the labyrinthian complexity of "Raising". I enjoyed "Palying Dead" less, but still I feel it as a very good prog album - it is as emotionally dark as "Raising" but a bit rockier and a bit less complex.

Regards.



Edited by Cesar Inca
Back to Top
kirklott View Drop Down
Forum Senior Member
Forum Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: May 01 2005
Location: United States
Status: Offline
Points: 623 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 22 2005 at 18:20

Originally posted by Cinema Cinema wrote:

And by the way, has anyone paid attention to Cyrus' lyrics? They're quite
bizarre. Definitely fascinating in there own right.

His lyrics are highly original, and highly provocative of both emotion and intellect.
"Progressive rock is the key to the continuance of human evolution." - Charles Darwin
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down



This page was generated in 0.430 seconds.
Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.