WORK IN PROGRESS LIVE

Work In Progress Live captures DFA´s first performance in the US at NEARFest 2000 and let me tell you it is some performance. I only wish had been there to see and hear it first hand. Luckily this cd is so well produced, and the sound is so great that if you close your eyes you can almost swear the concert is taking place right in front of you.

The music is mostly instrumental and incorporates influences from various genres of progressive rock. At times it´s very spacious and sounds a lot like krautrock (e.g. Escher), or even more free flowing with a sound close to that of the Ozric Tentacles. Other times it´s very symphonic, in the vein of more traditional Italian symphonic-progressive rock bands from the 70´s. There is also a lot of jazz-rock fusion to be heard and more complex, chaotic and constantly changing passages evoking Gentle Giant. The playing is top notch, you can´t wish for a better performance than you get here.

My favourite track on this album is the first track, Escher, which is probably the best krautrock/space rock track I have ever heard in my life. This track would have fitted perfectly on Grobschnitt´s Solar Music Live. Not only would it have fitted, it would have been the best track. It´s simply outstanding! La Via is my second favourite track on this album and this one is jazzier and a little more complex. I would like to describe it as the best fusion of jazzrock and progressive rock that you can ever imagine with a healthy dose of Gentle Giant thrown in for good measure. The result is pure magic.

If you like spacey symphonic rock mixed with classic, and not seldom quite complex, 70´s progressive rock and jazz-fusion then this album from DFA could well be your idea of music heaven.