PSYCHEDELIC/SPACE ROCK

UNICORN PORN began much like Steven Wilson's band Porcupine Tree. It was all supposed to be a joke which is the passion of guitarist Nick Vanderveldt, it began in Olympia, WA and moved on to St Louis, MO. The band over the years has been under his sole control and has had a revolving door policy which means many a musician has come and gone. This is a jam band all the way around but what a pleasant array of sounds that emerge and despite parts lasting healthy segments of time i personally don't get tired of any of them.

This is psychedelic to the max but there are some serious rockin' segments as well, complex drum and guitar interactions lots of repetitive post-rock type meanderings that add subtle embellishments that keep the listener entertained. Tribal drumming and ambient effects that drift in and out of tune with the guitars is truly hypnotic. The music on this one is simply constructed but the improvisation behind it is fairly complex which reminds me of the best of classic jazz sessions in a space rock context. Great stuff and a splendid example of contemporary space rock that doesn't resort to blatant Pink Floyd ripoffs.

Indeed this is not new from this author however, I wish to know how he actually managed to accomplish such an opera and I wish to know more on the meanings he put in it especially because to a careful listener it is clear that there is a huge creativity at stake here. The whole album perfectly reflects the good quality of Marco's Music and yet he was capable of rising the bar once more. This is probably his Marco's masterpiece.

Marco' s music is very good but difficult to find, an example of how great music can grow unnoticed. I am really happy to find this author finally available online !!!

I really love this album. There is still the hardness from the previous album, but there are some amazing soft parts throughout the album and it rounds things out very well. The album starts out with "The Charm Offensive" which is reminiscent of the debut album and you get the impression that this is going to be great like the last one. You get that post-metal atmosphere but with a lot of expression, great vocals and a lot of ingenuity. In between the first track and the 2nd, there is a hidden track which starts off soft but builds quickly and sounds almost like a return to "The Charm Offensive", but this does have an official title called "emp(erical) error". It is easy to mistake this as an extension of the first track. Next comes "Heaven Alive" which is definitely a more mainstream sounding track, but still an excellent song. The vocals are still to the forefront and there is a nice solid baseline. Towards the last part of the song, the chorus becomes a multi-layered vocal that sounds almost like a choir of sorts that along with that ever present bass line, is an exciting and enticing sound. I love this track. Then you get the last of the 1-2-3 punch with the explosive "A Homage to Shame". This one is a solid track, very hard, very emotional and simply astounding. The multi-layered vocals return here but this time the choir has been turned upside down almost giving an opposite effect of the previous track. This has to be heard. That takes up the first part of the album.

Next we move on to more amazing music, albeit a little more mellow but still with a lot of substance, emotion and excellent musicianship. "Meredith", even though it is not as hard as the previous track, is a very complex song with changing and challenging percussion. The drums throughout this album are just plain awesome, beating out rhythms that normally would not match the meter of the songs at times, but still sounding excellent. It gives the songs a more sense of sophistication and originality, there is just no staleness in this album anyway. After this great track, we get the epic masterpiece and also one of my all time favorite songs "Music for a Nurse." How do you describe this piece of art? Now it seems that Oceansize is digging deeper into the post rock sound, adding some space rock, taking the style of the best Sigur Ros song structure, adding their signature multi-layered voice sound, tuning the vocals down further into the total mix (ala Devin Townsend style) and doing this they created an epic masterpiece that just sends shivers down my spine. The format of the song is pretty typical post-rock structure, starting out soft and simple and building to an amazing climax. The difference here is the beauty of the melody, which is based upon a complex chord structure and repeated with the plucked notes of the guitar strings. This is an old Classical Music style called a Ground where the melody is played by the low notes while other counter-melodies and variations are played around that base. The melody that provides the base for the song is beautiful and when the song starts, it is almost the only thing you hear, very much like a Sigur Ros song. Other guitars and percussion and more multi-layered vocals get added in and keep building the music as the emotions continues to build and the tension rises throughout the song. You end up with an orchestral sounding wall of music. Simply amazing!

Continuing on with the album, you get more amazing music, challenging rhythms in places, from this point of the album, the vocals usually stay mixed into the music so they become part of the entire song. I love this method of mixing the voices down into the music and like I said earlier, this is the same method that Devin Townsend uses and also why I love his sound so much also. The music continues to be excellent and original, but it wasn't enough for Oceansize to have just one epic masterpiece on this album. The last track "Ornaments/The Last Wrongs" is another excellent track and ends the album on a high note. This one is more dependent upon sudden dynamic changes, from soft to hard passages throughout and once again with those amazing multi-layered vocals that I love.

I like to compare this kind of music to Classical Music, but this is Progressive rock's version of Classical. It is complex, dynamic, original, emotional. It has it all. My own personal rating system uses 5 stars like ProgArchives, but I also add a 6th star for the albums that I think are perfect. There are not many albums that I consider 6 star albums, so I don't use it very often, only when I find something simply amazing that moves me beyond words. This is one of those albums. Of course, I can only rate this with 5 stars here, but to me, it is better than the debut album, and that is also a 5 star album. Really, I love this album that much. I love the fact that this band progressed even further than on the previous album, that they have made their own sound here. The previous album was compared to Tool, but this album explores into territory that is only touched by the experts, namely Kayo Dot, Sigur Ros, King Crimson, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and so on. They not only explored these sounds, but they carved their own niche in this music style. Excellent album, definitely essential in my opinion, this one should be considered one of the best modern progressive albums. But that's enough praise from me. Don't keep putting this one off so long like I did. Listen to it and hear the level of emotion present. Even if you aren't dripping with praise the way I am, you will still probably agree that this is some of the best new prog available. 5 glowing stars!

When Nick Katona of Melodic Revolution Records asked me if I wanted to review the album, I had never heard of Marco Ragni. That's a risk of course - reviewing something you don't like is not a fun thing to do, and in cases like this, it likely doesn't help the person asking for the review. After listening to a single demo track (Into the Wheel of Time) I agreed to review, because I was surprised by what I heard. First of all because I really liked the music, but also because this happened around the time Pink Floyd's The Endless River was released. I was having discussions on what that band could have delivered if they had composed new material in 2014 instead of releasing recordings made 20 years ago. What I heard in that first track of Marco Ragni's album seemed to be one of the possible answers to that question. It was, and it wasn't, because of course Pink Floyd is Pink Floyd, and Marco Ragni is Marco Ragni. Reality is that Ragni does put down a fine piece of psychedelic progressive rock with this album, that addresses the struggle Man's dealings with Mother Earth. It is a double CD, of which disc one addresses the gradual destruction of our planet by human behaviour, and the rising consciousness of this fact, and disc two goes on about what happens once Man re-establishes the balance between his behaviour and the rest of nature, after going through a process of inner growth. All of this is laid down musically in a style that is related to, but different from that of bands like Pink Floyd and Eloy, that also shows some jazz rock influences , but is at times also a bit heavier than aforementioned bands - in a way that resembles Porcupine Tree at the time of The Sky Moves Sideways.

It is worth noting that Marco Ragni is a multi-instrumentalist, and takes care of all lead vocals, bass guitar, keyboards, mellotron and drum's programming (no real drummer on this album, unfortunately), and a large part of the electric and acoustic guitar playing. On acoustic guitar, Giovanni Menarello and Davide Gazzi play along on some tracks, while Enrico Cipollini plays electric guitar on two tracks. Enrico di Stefano plays saxophone on four tracks and Luigi Iacbone adds a flute on three others. Backing vocals, where applicable are taken care of by Marco's girlfriend Allesandra Pirani (who also wrote a large part of the lyrics), Pamela Anna Polland, Silvia Mazzetto and The Bizarre Talisman Choir.

The opening track of Disc One (The Rise and Fall of Human Heart) is the same one I heard as a sample of this album Into the Wheel of Time. It immediately feels like a modern era Pink Floyd, with the keyboard opening that develops into a solid guitar solo. The vocals are slightly high pitched, and maybe on the edge of Marco's range, but not unpleasant to listen to. At the end of the track, we are treated to very nice saxophone solo, with a slight jazz rock touch to it, accompanied by guitar and bass.

This is followed by Sea of Vibes, the first of three very long tracks (15+ minutes) on this album. This one does honour its title, it literally is a sea of vibes. The acoustic guitar intro and the first two verses reflect happiness and bliss, followed later by fear and a form of despair. All of this is reflected in the music - the acoustic guitar part is followed by a guitar solo, and a sort Porcupine Tree like soundscape in which guitar and keyboards guide us through the different vibes. The anger of the guitar at the end matches the despair of the last verse 'I haven't strength to face you, I haven't planned to change this flow'...

The acoustic one minute interlude Panting again brings to mind Pigs on the Wing, in terms of sound, but only slightly. It leaves Man catching his breath after a first realisation that something is going wrong.

I called Painting an interlude, because it separates Sea of Vibes from the second long track on the album, Haven of Marble. This one is about the damage Man does to our planet, and reflects some of the discussions between those involved and those opposing it. It starts on in a melodic, mellow way, but develops into another soundscape that ends with an angry guitar solo. The final verse, accompanied by acoustic guitar seems to bring hope, while the sound of a clock suggests time is ticking away. The ending is instrumental, with another saxophone solo accompanied by keyboards, leaving us in a slightly minor mood.

Faint Memory then is another short piece, with acoustic guitar as the main instrument, accompanied by background sound effects. Man starts to regain his feelings for Mother Earth.

The Light is Burning is the second short piece, which tells how Man realises his mistakes, accompanied by a late '60s guitar sound, and a matching psychedelic guitar solo. It is followed by Turning back the Clock, which features multiple voices (all Marco's) in the lyrics, accompanied by acoustic guitar. Man finds out what really matters: "Only now I realise, I've been wrong the whole time"

That is the bridge to Disc Two, entitled The Awakening of Conciousness. This disc opens with the 22 minute long track, Far Beyond the Line. Spacey keyboards and guitars accompany the vocals that describe Man's 'awakening of conciousness'. Once the vocals stop, the acoustic guitar and flute (or is it a synth on this track?) allow the listener to visualise for himself what man has done and has to do next. Then, a sudden electric guitar seems to reflect Man pulling out his own hair in despair while finding out how to continue. This leads to a 1980s Gilmouresque guitar piece accompanied by church choir like chants, which is then followed by Man's desperate confession of past mistakes, accompanied by acoustic guitar again. After the confession, a long instrumental part starts, with a slick guitar solo, and saxophone and keyboards building another psychedelic soundscape. The vocals and electric guitar return for a final verse, about Man returning to active duty as maintainer of our planet, and a somewhat trippy instrumental part. The multi-vocal chanting and screaming at the end is a surprising part, that does not and at the same time does fit the track.

After this challenging piece, a short instrumental The First Time I Saw the Sun with piano and electric guitar leading, brings us back to quieter atmospheres, paving the way for Skies Painted by the Wind. As the vocals tell how Man sees that his efforts to re-establish balance with nature are working, the flute underneath an acoustic guitar mimics the wind that paints the sunny sky.

The positive mood now continues into In the Air. The acoustic guitar is replaced by a picked electric one, but the flute remains, as Man walks through the fields and talks with the earth, the wind, the sun and the rest of nature. Marco Ragni's bio mentions his interest in the Californian hippie culture of the 1960s - this song would have fit in that time and place perfectly.

The walk through the fields ends with Man breathing and enjoying the air, in the short acoustic and electric guitar piece Breathing that again features some very nice saxophone work. With filled lungs, Marco continuous singing in a lower register (closer to his natural voice, from the sound of it) on Northern Light. The way this is sung, combined with the fuzzy guitar sound somehow bring the feeling of balance, man becoming one with nature again: "Feel me, I'm a part of you". This carries on into the short outro Mother from the Sun, in which programmed strings and a simple guitar accompany the closing lyrics.

The final word of the lyrics is "Begin", and that is what I did after the record ended - begin again, for another listen. Partly to make sure that I heard correctly what I heard, partly to find out if there was more to be heard. This album is so long, and so much is going on that it is easy to miss things, but also to discover new things on every listen. In a way, this is one of the nicest albums I've heard in the past 10 years, and it will get a lot more playing time for sure. Highly recommended for fans of Pink Floyd, Porcupine Tree, psychedelic rock in general, or Marco Ragni himself.

"Headphone Dust" is the b-side and is a +6 minute instrumental that finally lasts long enough for you to be taken away into the music. It is very mellow and spacey and again takes on the sound that you can hear on the early Porcupine Tree albums. If you liked PT's albums like "Sky Moves Sideways" then this might interest you, but this isn't long enough to really have much of an effect. As for "Headphone Dust", you can actually find that track on the CD version of the I.E.M. self titled album, so this particular release is only of interest for collectors, which would be happy to have this rare find as part of their collection. Otherwise, there really isn't a lot of value to this single.

Thankfully, the Lizards Exist turned out to be a real treat - and the only 2014 debut album I really liked and am going to listen to again (and again). Here is why, in broad strokes:

- The quality of production leaves nothing to be desired - The songwriting is absolute top-notch - In the "taste and measure" category, the Lizards score as high as Pink Floyd in their heyday - The album is fully instrumental, which is a huge plus in my eyes - You can call me a weirdo to my face, but album titles are important. Lizards Exist is one of the best album titles "prog" artists have ever come up with. Ever. - The Lizards plays very well in the car and other less-than-hifi circumstances

Here is one and only thing that keeps me from awarding the Lizards 5 stars: boy, do I wish the bass and the drums (especially on "58") were a little jazzier .. can't feel them groove (I guess?).

Please, please get this album out on a physical carrier, with proper album art. I would definitely love to have it on vinyl.

This album was their debut full-album, and it surpasses any expectations. The music goes from soft and flowing vocals and instrumentals to harsh and loud sounds approaching heavy metal at times, even more extensively than later Porcupine Tree does. On this album, the variation in dynamics is most apparent on the epic longer songs. For example, "Massive Bereavement' is a masterpiece of a song that uses dynamics throughout it's 9+ minutes run time to create something that is spectacular and original. This particular song, one of the big standouts on the album, features a collaboration with another famous prog band "Can". I'm surprised that hasn't been mentioned, especially with all the praise given to this song in the Archives. Don't worry, though, this is not the only masterpiece of prog on this album. "Saturday Morning Breakfast Show" is another example of perfect dynamic use with some soft sounds interrupted suddenly by heart-pounding riffs and hooks. "Long Forgotten" is a long and beautiful ballad, but not a ballad in any traditional sense.

This is prog at it's best and it puzzles me as to why this band isn't receiving the popularity in prog circles the way it should be. Lovers of Tool who are looking for more music of the same caliber, yet is not a copy, should listen to this music. It took me long enough to discover them even after being a fan of the song "Music for a Nurse" and a few other tracks that I had heard, knowing that I needed to pick up music from them. I wish I hadn't waited so long. Now I will be recommending Oceansize to all lovers of the harder side of progressive music.

Inventive, dynamic, stellar musicianship, great vocals with a lot of emotion especially at the louder sections, this album and band has it all. Even for a debut album, this music shines and rivals the best progressive bands in existence. Even the shorter tracks are inventive and more than just filler. Great music. I can't praise this music enough. This should be considered a masterpiece. 5 stars.

Like the debut "Pipers At The Gates Of Dawn" this one was a slow burner and didn't really hit me upon first listen but i continued to listen to it because a few tracks stuck out more than others. Like much progressive music it needs to incubate in your subconscious before unleashing its magic. Such is the case with this album as well. This album overall is still very much rooted in the very popular 60s psychedelic pop / rock scene but as with most PINK FLOYD music it has an extra oomph and panache that adds small almost imperceivable layers of sophistication to its final mix.

The tracks vary widely on this one ranging from the upbeat guitar riff oriented intro with psych organ which breaks into the mid tempo lugubriousness "Let There Be More Light" which flows perfectly into the following "Remember A Day" with its cool guitar slide action and piano followed by a groovy 60s riff in tandem with the intro about mourning and loss. "Set The Controls..." is unique in that it has some seriously rolling drum action that accompanies its downer effect. The out of place tracks of "Corporal Klegg" and "Jugband Blues" kinda go together in that they are more upbeat and semi-folky with kazoos and bring 30s Dixieland jazz bands to mind more than anything 60s but for me the true treasure of this album is the space-age bizarre title track that to this day still gives me shivers when i hear it. It really feels like a close encounter of some kind where the aliens are beaming down a musical pattern to help humans decipher certain patterns in the universe aiding us in avoiding self-destruction.

As stated, this album is really a mess if taken as an album, but as a collection of single tracks i have REALLY grown to like this. This dystopian in nature album perfectly coincides with that of the world in 1968 when astrologically and culturally the world was going through a serious upheaval in every possible way. In the world of popular music it was no different as evidenced by this strange second album by PINK FLOYD that couldn't have been created by sheer planning. Despite loving their 70s output i really find myself gravitating towards their 60s albums more often. Even though i wasn't around to experience the glorious 60s in their heyday nothing transports me there more quickly than a sonic exposure to a PINK FLOYD album in their full psychedelic regalia. An acquired taste for sure but if you do indeed get a hankering for such a sound then this album takes you on a wilder ride than even their debut which i find to be a much more consistent experience.