BLACKBOX

Major Parkinson from Norway has found a way to combine quite dark progressive rock with pop sensibilities. At first spin it sounded like a poppy version of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum to me! Keywords to describe this album are ghosthouse, darkness, caberet, dance music and ambient pop. The low pitched male vocals create a the feel as if listening to a vampire, whereas the female lead vocals sound a bit gothic / childlike.

On the first side of the vinyl the band plays its dark pop without much interruption. Every song has its own specific elegant nightmarish vibe. Compared to ordinary progrock the music sounds quite electronic/produced and is slightly more repetitive. The album never becomes boring, because Major Parkinson keeps adding layers and the atmospheres are really sufficient. On side two 'Baseball' is the most cabaret-influenced song in which the band's humor runs wild. This was the song that took me longest to get into, but I started to like it eventually. The ending song 'Blackbox' is another highlight for the album. Love the wind-section in the end.

The gold vinyl (on Karisma Records) I own should never have been released, because it doesn't sound at all like the sharp and perfectly produced digital version. The vinyl sounds flat and compressed. This is a bit of a letdown, but I won't blame the band for it. This is a pleasant four star progressive album that friends and family might also like.