Here begins the 4th round of the Modern albums. In previous rounds we did song samples, great
PA's reviews, with this round I wanted to do something a different. So I
went outside PA's.. what do people outside of this site say about
these albums.
First up.. one of the handful of certifiable modern classics..
Hybris by Anglagard
If I could give it 6 stars, I would! After
a few months of searching, I was finally able to get a copy of this
album. It's the digi-pack version with the bonus track to make things
even better. If you are a fan of symphonic prog, especially the stylings
of Genesis and King Crimson, this is THE album for you. Here is a band
that knows their influences, but offers their own unique take on things.
The Swedish folk overtones add a dimension that helps to make the
compositions unique to the giants of '70's prog. The musicianship is
almost startling, even more so when you consider the age of the band
members. The drumming is what struck me first and foremost. The drumming
is both utterly complex and amazingly delicate depending on the mood
the band is trying to achieve. And speaking of moods, Anglagard switches
time signatures and musical styles with blinding speed and dexterity.
Music this complex is rarely shown on a debut release. And yet, they
have the uncanny maturity to make all that complexity musical. This
isn't just complex for the sake of showing off, they are very congnicent
of this being music and not a mathematical excercise. I'm simply in
awe of this band and I'm so glad that the ProgArchives exists otherwise I
would never have known about them. One listen to Jordrok and I was
hooked. Now I would consider it my absolute favorite instrumental, even
more so than La Villa Strangiato. That's something I never thought I'd
say. If I could give this album 6 stars; I would. I honestly don't think
you can be a serious symphonic prog fan without a copy of this album.
Hybris is that good and that important.
and against that.. we have the slayer of SWilson
Viva Koenji by Koenji Hyakkei
Yoshida Tatsuya’s never been short on side projects
outside of his venerable Ruins, though aural evidence of these
extracurricular activities has never been easy for Western listeners to
acquire, with very few discs available outside of his native Japan, and
import prices, as usual, daunting for the curious without cash to burn.
Luckily, Skin Graft (Ruins’ American home) picked up on the problem, and
released Koenjihyakkei’s fourth album, Angherr Shisspa. The disc
garnered somewhat scattered praise; even Ruins fans weren’t always sure
what to make of its sound, with Yoshida’s signature brand of tightly
wound prog uncoiled amidst operatic vocals and a whirl of bright cosmic
futurism. Viva Koenji!!, the group’s second release, now issued
in the US for the first time, may feature a slightly more conventional
(at least in Yoshida’s world) version of the band, but while there are
obvious ties between the music therein and Tatsuya’s work with Ruins,
Koenjihyakkei is in a galaxy of their own, a band with a very distinct
voice.
All difference aside, however, those who come to Viva Koenji!!
primarily fans of (and familiar with) Yoshida’s work with Ruins will
have plenty to aid in the assimilation of the album. In large parts, a
number of his musical ingredients are similar to those which have
informed his sound for years: segments of hyperspeed prog, interspersed
with breakneck turns, unexpected breakdowns, and distinctive vocals sung
in a language of undetermined imaginary origin. But whereas Ruins, at
this point in the game, seem in need of a minor reinvention,
Koenjihyakkei offer enough of a departure from Ruins’ rubric to soothe
the ire of anyone clamoring for something new from the mind of Yoshida,
even if this music is a decade old. Yoshida’s love affair with classic
French prog is in its most noticeable form here, full of epic
songwriting, jazzy flourishes, and a heavy reliance on soaring ensemble
vocals. But while tracks like “Graddinoba Revoss” might work the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeuhl" rel="nofollow - zeuhl angle faithfully, almost to a fault, Viva Koenji!!
isn’t about the ghosts of prog past, instead it’s an unquestionably
modern creation, a vibrant update on a classic sound easily believable
as being 10 days old rather than 10 years.
Those who’ve found Yoshida in a rut recently
would do well to rediscover the drummer’s compositional voice in
Koenjihyakkei. Whether Skin Graft will continue to release
Koenjihyakkei’s material is still to be seen, but even if a follow-up to
Angherr Shisspa isn’t imminent, the label could do far worse
than to continue to unearth previously unavailable artifacts from
Koenjihyakkei’s past.
------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip
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