CANTERBURY SCENE

Actionfredag's debut album, Turist i eget liv (Tourist in Your Own Life), is a fresh and engaging entry in the Norwegian progressive rock scene. Featuring members from well-known bands like Tusmørke and Jordsjø, the album blends progressive rock with Canterbury jazz and folk influences, offering a sound that feels both exploratory and deeply rooted in Scandinavian musical traditions, I can hear Influences from Frank Zappa and Soft Machine as well

The album opens with "Pönk på svenska," a track powered by fuzzed-out guitars and a jazzy electric piano. The shifts in dynamics, from quieter moments to more energetic bursts, make for an exciting opening that captures the listener's attention right away.

"En behagelig durakkord som sier noe om hvordan det er å se uten å bli sett" moves in a different direction, with warm, rounded bass tones and haunting violin melodies. The vocals have a distinctly Scandinavian feel, delivering a dramatic yet restrained performance that complements the subtle instrumental layers.

Throughout the album, the band showcases their versatility. On "Gadgetry cum dystopia," they incorporate woodwinds and layer the vocals with effects, giving the track an ethereal and experimental vibe. The unexpected use of these elements keeps the album intriguing, and the constant movement between moods?from jazzy improvisations to more grounded folk moments?makes each track stand out in its own way.

The final track, "Ensomhet er bare en følelse" (Loneliness is Just a Feeling), closes the album on a contemplative note. With its rolling melody and thoughtful vocals, the song feels like the emotional core of the album, leaving a lasting impression.

Turist i eget liv is an eclectic mix of sounds and styles, It's a very fun album to listen, rewarding repeated listens with its rich layers and shifting textures. For those who like of progressive rock and 70's Avant-garde.

Now, this is how Zopp sounds with a full band. Known for their intricate compositions that blend progressive rock, jazz fusion, and classical music, Zopp brought their studio sound to life on stage. After their last album Dominion, the prog duo of Ryan Stevenson and Andrea Monetta have been touring, mostly across the UK, performing with a full band.

The setlist was tasteful chosen, featuring tracks from their debut self-titled record and Dominion. Ryan Stevenson's collection of analog keyboards?Moog, Mellotron, and Fender Rhodes?added colors to their sound. Zopp's ability to move from atmospheric sections to intense moments stood out.

The improvisational elements and complex rhythms gave the songs new life.The great performances of Andrea Monetta's drumming, Ashley Raynor's bass lines, Richard Lucas's great guitar work, and Rob Milne's outstanding saxophone and flute.

Zopp's performance was filled with emotion, creating a great live experience. The intimate setting of Danfest allowed the band to connect deeply with the audience.

The first three short tracks are breezy, trippy and by the time we get to the fourth one, the tension before the storm is rising. However, psychedelic vocals and percussion bring peace. You can hear moog and percussion getting more grip before drums start into a somewhat fusion and guitar effects led by saxophone. The track is furious and full of dynamic shifts. Kudos to the drummer for using frequent fills and guitar/saxophone being on the edge of things. "A sprinkling of clouds" is musically less interesting, also less intense but I consider it quite influential at the same time because it brings psychedelic keyboards to the forefront and turns into a great hallucination energy noise. The last two tracks are Gong crowning achievements, long but dreamy excursions into psychadelic space rock with dominant saxophone and bass. Excellent relaxing atmosphere with rising chords with masterful saxophone playing. The last track could indeed blow ya mind. I don't praise using vocals here, on the other hand, there are very good dynamic changes and experimentation. This track marks the last Gong track with some Canterbury influence.

Further Gong albums of the 70's enter a more jazzy territory and I like them to the same level as the three albums of the trilogy.

  The album opens with the live performance of the instrumental track Facelift. The first five minutes open with a keyboard part that, after a couple of minutes, evolves into this stabbing, loud, electric sound that irritates the listener, but in a good way. Elton slowly starts to add on, and eventually Hugh and Robert join in, making this almost scary buildup and ending up at this cool drum beat with the band adding a constant rising and falling dynamic to it. Around the seven minute mark, the band breaks into this heavy sounding jazz piece with flying solos by Elton and wild drumming by Robert. The song slowly devolves into near pure ambiance and a flute solo by Lyn Dobson. Originally the song also had a vocal and harmonica solo, but those two were cut from the song to fit the song on the vinyl. The ambience eventually turns into the manic jazz from before and ends with a reversed refrain of one of the sections of the song. Overall a fantastic representation of the new Soft Machine and an excellent opener to the album.  

The next song is Slightly All the Time, another jazz oriented instrumental. It opens with a relaxed and soothing bass intro, with the whole feel of the song being a lot more free and improvisational. Most of the song can be described as the band resting on one jazz tune and then, after exhausting all the possibilities of that section, moving on to the next tune and playing all the opportunities in it. The way the band manages to keep their cool while also playing fast paced high hat work, rapid bass movement, and saxophone solos, and then silently move onto a nice peaceful rhythm. An excellent jazz song all throughout, and I really think the band was at their creative peak with this album and this song.  

Now for one of the last Soft Machine songs with lyrics (possibly the very last), Moon In June. One of the things that surprised me the most was that Robert Wyatt, their drummer and singer at the time, wrote the entire song and played on most of it. Robert Wyatt's vocals in general are reassuring and lovely, so for me it's a good note to leave on for the singing parts in Soft Machine. Moving on to the actual song, it opens with a highly progressive structure, with the song constantly changing every couple of seconds, and Robert Wyatt is singing these strange and grammatically incorrect love lyrics, which too me captivates the listener with the whole unique feeling the lyrics give off. While the horn work might be absent from the song, the lyrics I just mentioned make up for it for the most part, and the violin part I'll get to later also does a good job at replacing Elton Dean's fantastic work. The drumming is possibly Robert's best, with his speed being a significant factor in the song. The song's lyrics shift around a quarter into the song, and Robert starts singing about New York City and how he misses it before switching right back. From this point on, the song breaks into almost another free form jazz piece. The jazz piece would continue into a slow death in the rhythm and eventually ends.  

The next song, Out-Bloody-Rageous, is probably the weakest song on the album. That doesn't mean it's a bad one, it just doesn't compare to the power of the other three. The song opens with an ambient keyboard part, with the happy tone of it making it quite boring for me. The real juice of the song kicks in around the five minute mark, with a new form of energetic jazz not seen on this album yet, while still following a melody. The jazz continues on, similar to how Slightly All the Time explores everything about the possible sections to imagine in the song, but the jazz slowly dies out into the opening of the song. Not a lot to say here, though, like I've mentioned, it's still a good song.

  In conclusion, Third is a stampede of nearly unstoppable jazz power. It has a couple of bumps here and there, but overall it's a near perfect album. While I might like Hatfield and the North or National Health better than Soft Machine, they did an incredible job to keep up with those guys in my eyes. Third is easily not only one of my favorite Canterbury Scene albums but also one of my favorite double albums. And even though the audio quality might not be great, it sort of adds to the magic of the album, in my opinion. This is a 5/5; I would definitely recommend it to any progressive rock, jazz, or Canterbury scene fans.

1. "Heavy Tune" (6:22) a dull and plodding song that seems to exhibit an over-arching malaise or fatigue from the band (though more from the guitarists (including Allan Holdsworth) and bass guitarist Hansford Rowe, but even Pierre's drum playing seems lackluster and uninspired--leaving all his energy for his vibraphone play. Stupid KISS-like rock chord progression propelled by the rhythm guitarists' "power" chords. What a sad opening. (8.66667/10) 2. "Golden Dilemma" (4:51) maybe now they've awakened! But the main rhythm track/motif is still so bland/quitidian and rock-like--with a "Take Five"/"Living in the Past" sound and feel to it. Nice play from the tuned percussionists. (8.875/10)

3. "Sleepy" (7:17) opening with a peaceful yet mesmerizing arpeggio pattern on the vibraphone, Benoît Moerlen is soon joined by Mireille Bauer, also on vibes, then brother Pierre on the drum kit and Hansford Rowe's bass to create a very engaging weave. Allan Holdsworth and then Darryl Way take the first two solo spots on the electric guitar and electic violin, respectively. At 3:30 their is a switch in the baseline vibraphone weave over which Hansford's wah-wah- ed bass solos for nearly a minute. The drums rejoin at 4:45, cushioning the entrance of Darryl Way for a searing albeit brief solo before the rhythmatists again take control, amping up the tuned percussion weave before Hansford's bass redirects once again into a funkier, more straightforward repeating pattern--which serves the song until it's long fadeout end. Decent! (13.5/15)

4. "Soli" (7:37) another pleasant and engaging JEAN-LUC PONTY-like melodic weave opens this one over which Allan Holdsworth solos briefly as if from behind the stage. The two-person vibraphone rhythm section shifts to a quicker, faster-paced weave while Hansford Rowe provides a rather beautiful bass solo. In the third minute the music straightens out again so that both Benoît Moerlen and Mireille Bauer can solo on their vibes. The fifth minute is Holdsworth's. Over the same high-energy fast-paced motif he seems uninspired, unenthusiastic, or lost for the first 30 seconds, then he finally gets it: that it's his turn. His soloing finally begins to live up to the reputation he's been building for the past ten years: unusual melodies, furious runs, angular note choices. The whole band seem to get involved in carrying the melody forward during the last 50 seconds. Really nice finish. (13.375/15)

5. "Boring" (6:23) a simple, almost Orffian percussion weave is presented by the marimba and vibes while bass, violin, and tubular bells take turns rising into the spotlight. The most interesting thing on this song is the wonderful interplay between Hansford Rowe's chunky-fuzzy fretless bass and Darryl Way's violin. I also like the prominent role that François Causse's congas play in the mix. A top three song for me. (9/10)

6. "Three Blind Mice" (4:47) two vibe arpeggi repeated a few times opens this one before the rest of the band kicks in with a nicely energetic motif. The entrance of Allan Holdsworth distinctive guitar seems to signal a slow down and slight simplification for the rest of the band as Benoît and Mireille settle into a fairly simple four-chord pattern. Once Allan has finished (and left the building) the percussionists carry the song, kind of a weird song for the sudden disappearance of Mr. Holdsworth ("Allan has left the building"!). The two thirds of the song that was left to the rhythm section might be a sign of things to come. Not a bad song, just . . . pointless . . . like a practice jam. (8.875/10)

Total Time 37:17

A far-inferior album to their previous effort, Gazeuse!, the band seems to have lost their way--or at least band leader Pierre Moerlen. Yes, I have to say it: I find Pierre's performances throughout this album to be quite lackluster and unimpressive. On Gazeuse! I felt that his playing suddenly vaulted him into the conversation of greatest J-R Fuse drummers of the 1970s. Not anymore. I probably doesn't help that his drums were recorded the most poorly of any of the instruments: muddied and buried in the mix. Bad engineering! All of these disappointing elements lead me to wonder: Could it be that the loss of bass player Mike Howlett was more devastating to the band's core spirit than those of Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, and Steve Hillage? Not that Mike's replacement, Hansford Rowe is bad--he's not--it's just that the Moerlen brothers seem less inspired. Or, maybe it's the absence/loss of Didier Malherbe? Such a fun yet- calming presence. (Perhaps it's actually the dynamic between they and former-lover Mireille Bauer; we all know from the past two albums what a high her presence infused into the band.)

B/four stars; a very nice if somewhat disjointed representation of the more-mature form of GONG yet somehow disappointing when coming off of the highs of their previous album. Still, highly recommended.