POD NIEBEM CZAS / THE TIME BENEATH THE SKY

The Polish NeoProg artist's third album and last with vocalist Emila Derkowska and the rhythm section of bass player Radek Scholl and drummer Rafał Jermakow. Though I've been a fan of Quidam for some time now--since discovering their debut album around 2012--this is really my first exposure and repeat dive into this album.

1. "List Z Pustyni I / Letter from the Desert" (6:08) a great exposition of progified World Music, starting with the wonderfully hypnotic Arabian a cappella vocalise of Emila Derkowska. The music that follows is powerful, beautiful, excellent; prog perfection. (10/10) 2. "Ciągle Czekam (List Z Pustyni II) / Still Waiting (Letter from the Desert II)" (4:51) synth wash and muted snare open this before piano, bass and drum kit establish a gentle, spacious, and beautiful tapestry to support Emila's front and center vocals. Incredibly moving melodies coming from Emila's soothing voice. A pop ballad that is not very proggy until the Hackett-like sustained guitar note and soulful flugelhorn in the fourth minute, Simply beautiful. (9.5/10)

3. "No Quarter (Page - Plant)" (11:51) You read that correctly: a cover of the famous Led Zeppelin song! And introduced by flute and piano! They manage to do quite a nice job! Emila's voice is, of course, heavily effected (it has to be!). Embellished in the middle by a great guitar solo. You can tell how much the band love and revere this song, the performances are so impassioned and emotional. Not even the near-reggae section supporting the flute solo can spoil this for me. (23/25)

4. "Nowe Imi' / New Name" (4:56) A very simple, straightforward ballad with nary a prog lick in it even the guitar solo sounds like it could've come from Journey or Foreigner. (7.75/10)

5. "Kozolec (Dla AgaPe) / Kozolec (for AgaPe)" (5:05) prog folk with wooden flutes and weird drum sounds (very tight snare?) while Emila and Maciek show their skill for creating great melodies with their respective instruments. I love the stripped down, slowed down passage in the fourth minute with its nice keys and wonderful flute play. Almost in the land of Iona. (8.5/10)

- Pod Niebem Czas / The Time Beneath The Sky: 6. "Credo I" (8:07) more IONA-like prog folk; these guys really know how to make prog the right way: with many influences and lots of creative, new ideas. Great guitar and vocal arrangements here, beautiful use of organ and gorgeous flute and guitar solos. (13.75/15) 7. "Credo II" (5:13) long sustained atmospheric Bar-do period (two minutes) before new motion and motif are formed. Instrumental (other than angel voices) with not much development--though the synth solo in the fourth minute is pretty awesome. (These guys know how to solo!) (8.5/10)

8. "Jestez (w Labiryncie Myzli) / You Are (In the Labyrinth of Thoughts)" (4:40) a weird man whistling while walking through a house bridges the previous piece to this. Strummed acoustic guitar with Emila angelic voice singing a beautiful, impassioned vocal in her native Polish. Flanged guitar chords and fretless bass are used to perfection. Remarkably, the chorus is even more beautiful--but the brief bridge that follows is a bit off-putting--but then they return to the chorus to finish. (9.25/10)

9. "Quimpromptu" (9:37) pacing themselves (never in a rush to develop--masterful use of space and time to create the perfect amount of tension) this song develops from bass, space synths, gentle drums, and "native" flutes into quite a gorgeous PINK FLOYD-like hypnotic piece. Great display of impassioned flute play throughout the middle and then a great guitar solo in the eighth minute--something David Gilmour or Roy Buchanan would, I think, be quite proud of. (18/20)

10. "(Wszystko Ma Sw¢j) Pod Niebem Czas / (Everything Has Its Own) Time Beneath the Sky" (4:16) twangy lead guitar and strummed acoustic guitar set up the back drop for Emila to sing over. This one sounds light and airy--positive and uplifting. A little too radio poppy. (Perhaps this is the direction Emila was heading--the reason she left the band after this album.) (8/10)

Total time 64:44

Definitely my favorite Quidam album! One of the few near-perfect prog albums I've ever heard and definitely one of the best albums of the Naughties. A band of mature prog masters at the very top of their game. If it weren't for the weakness of the two "pop" songs this would be a veritable masterpiece.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of masterful progressive rock music that should be in every prog lover's music collection. I want so badly to give this five stars but those two songs . . . .