WHITE CLOUDS

The debut album from Vienna Circle, White Clouds is a concept album, set against a backdrop of the first world war.

The album defies direct comparisons but there are definite influences apparent, such as Pink Floyd, Marillion and even Neal Morse.

The music is very melodic and layered in the true tradition of prog.

The vocal story line is regularly interspersed with lengthy instrumental sections and soaring guitar solos. Particular highlights for me are the dynamic 'First Night In Berlin' and the emotional 'Her Green Eyes Blew Goodbye'.

The album climaxes with 'White Clouds (Finale)' which reprises the opening track, embellished with a truly anthemic guitar theme.

All in all this is a truly remarkable debut which I can highly recommend to any neo-prog afficienados. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

This album has been getting heavy playtime since I received it a few weeks ago. After listening to a few of the songs online I decided to order the CD and have not been disappointed. I know it is a concept album with the first world war as the backdrop but to be honest, I really don't worry too much about lyrics, it is the music that matters. I would describe this album as fairly mellow but with enough energetic sections to keep the heartrate up. The melodies are fantastic and the songs blend together beautifully the way a true concept album should. All the songs have a unique flavour to them with the only filler piece IMO being Argonne Wood. Even it has an interesting feel to it as war veterans relate battlefield experiences. There are plenty of instrumental sections throughout the album with lots of soaring guitar solos a la David Gilmour or Steve Rothery to compliment the piano and other keyboard work. Production seems to be first rate as the overall sound is very good. This band (as far as I know) consists of two brothers who handle all the instruments, except for drums which were farmed out to a session player and a very good one by the sound of things. All in all an excellent listen for anyone that enjoys melodic progressive music. A solid four stars.

It took me a long time to get used to this album, really. I had it for a long time but at first it didn´t strike me as anything really special. It was maybe too modern pop, like a more progressive version of a Radiohead or a Coldplay (but with better vocals and a real guitar player). However, after repeated listenings I was drawn to their fine musicanship, excellent songwriting skills and the subtle arrangements. The concept is quite interesting and original too. This project by the brothers Davies duo (plus drummer Russel Wilson) takes some time to get into, but it is worth it.

After some time I found myself enjoying more and more White Clouds. It´s a fine tapestry of sounds and so well done you might not get the excellent keyboards and guitar interplay, the shifting moods and the briliant (but discreet) perfomances if you´re paying due atention. But once you do, you´ll be reward with a quite melodic and interesting trip to the past, telling the story of an english guy facing the horrors of world war one. I really don´t think it sounds like anything Marillion or even Neil Morse have done as far as I´m concerned (a little Pink Floyd here and there is ok, but not much either). Neo prog? I don´t know...And yet their work is quite good and, being their first, has quite a personal sound.

I don´t know if I can call this album a real masterpiece, or even essential, for the average proghead. It is however a strong debut and I really hope those guys have plans for another shot at least. They surely made a very melodic, convincing and bold debut and it makes you wonder how far this talented duo can go. If you´re into melodic prog with fine, subtle instrumentation and good songwriting, go for it! Final rating: something between 3,5 and 4 stars.

Named after the association of philosophers during the early 20's at the University of Vienna, this duo consists of brothers Paul and Jack Davis, coming from the town of Pewsey in UK.Both grew up performing at a lunch club in The Shak, the Pewsey youth centre, where any youngster could pick up an instrument and reveal his talents.After playing in separate bands, the Davis' brothers united in 2006 to record an album of their own under the Vienna Circle name.Helped by Russell Wilson on drums and production they finally launched their debut ''White clouds'' in 2008 as an indepedent release.

This is certainly one of the most accurate, promising and interesting releases of Progressive Rock in 2008 with the Davis brothers creating an album full of emotional colors, vintage references, superb arrangements and thrilling vocals lines.Moreover the album becomes even more interesting with each listening.Vienna Circle sound like a cross between MARILLION, PINK FLOYD, SKY ARCHITECT, MOTHER BLACK CAP, PORCUPINE TREE and several Polish bands like SATELLITE or BELIEVE.Excellent modern Progressive Rock with beats from Neo Prog and Heavy Rock fields, based on impressive guitar leads, soaring synthesizers and mellotron samples, while the background contains also some nice vocal distortions and plenty of acoustic breaks.All tracks are awesome with a deep emotional content yet with a fair dose of demanding musicianship.Changing moods, tremendous electric solos, powerful and grandiose orchestral textures and cool hypnotic ambiances offer series of original structures with a result that ranges from satisfying to simply masterful.And there is also an incredible ability by the Davis' family to combine an otherwise very modern-sounding work with the sounds of the past on the orchestral moves.

Excellent debut to say the least.Moving, adventurous, pompous and perfectly arranged Progressive Rock, that becomes even more valuable considering the fact that it was created by only two very young artists.Highly recommended.

There has been a raging rumour going around lately that Neo-prog is making smashing inroads in 2013, boldly torching a new pathway for musical enjoyment, with an abundance of brilliant releases that just keep coming one after another. I must admit that despite my title as a Symphonic Prog Specialist, I have been noticing a massive influx of unknown talents that have been taking my heart and my ears with surprising gusto. Led by double recent releases from both Big Big Train and Galahad, the recent list is long= stunning discs from Final Conflict, Primitive Instinct, Deeexpus, Silhouette, Comedy of Errors, Anubis, Airbag, Edison's Children, Introitus, Legend, Cosmograf, Elephants of Scotland, Gandalf's Fist, Lifesigns, Mystery, Nine Stones Close, RPWL and Silver Key, with a few others that presently escape me. So when I took the plunge to discover Vienna Circle, I knew I was going to be in comfortable territory. I bought both their releases, this sparkling debut and their brand new "Silhouette Moon" (to be reviewed soon) . Aided by a few samples and the obligatory reviews, I am happy to report that this is another new player that deserves your undivided attention. There is something effortless and grandiose in their song craft, the playing is simple yet highly evocative, wonderful bass work, sizzling guitar runs, both rhythm and lead as well as acoustic, atmospheric ivories and solid drumming. The vocals by Paul Davis are indeed higher pitched, certainly in a loftier octave than say BJH's John Lees, James Warren of the Korgis or Steve Wilson. Another close vocal companion would be Xavier Phideaux, especially if the music is also taken into account. The Vienna Circle draws its name from an early 20th century association of philosophers based in the Austrian capital.

The debut album is a savvy affair, a highly mature piece of musical expression that has all the ingredients necessary to carve a long and storied career in Progland. Jack and Paul Davis are two brothers who handle all the instruments, the first mostly on bass and piano while the second handles the guitars, keyboards and the vocals, with guests Russell Wilson on drums and female vocalist Gemma Burch. The foremost strength that immediately leaps out at the listener is the impeccable song writing on display, as well as a musical delivery platform of the highest order. The material is about the First World War, a mournful storyline but with a delicate, romantic, dreamy and memorably hooked manner with some devastating choruses that stick to your ears like glue. Think Porcupine Tree tracks like "Sentimental" or "My Ashes" off the Fear album or some of the classic Blackfield tracks. The playing is quite stunning with a constant sense of creative arrangement = extended mellotron cascades, some fancy slide guitar and quirky melodies. Paul Davis is a tremendous guitarist who is unafraid to let her rip in the fine tradition of Latimer/Gilmour, long bluesy solos that electrify the soul. His vocals are, once you get used to the higher pitch, extremely addictive. Drummer Wilson actually muscles the kit pretty good, keeping things nice and tight.

Like the French band Xang on their farewell "The Last of Lasts", we are offered a graphic story, a concept album that relates the devastating effects of gory trench warfare, expertly relayed in terse lyrics coated in melancholic reverie, from the opener "White Clouds" suavely segued into "First Night in Berlin", a perfect introduction to Vienna Circle's classy neo-prog style. A sad piano amid a train track rumble, ringing bass guitar and the gorgeous voice introduces the upcoming battle, "Deutschland will conquer all"! Funny how gung-ho many seem to be on the onset of bloodletting! So foolishly they forget the carnage! This short song conveys perfectly the innocence of such idiocy. "Stars of May" has the bass upfront and bold, acoustic guitar raging nicely in the backdrop, a few delicate electric licks that garnish the orchestrated sound rather radiantly, the vocals get revved up quite a bit, hitting heftier heights with super backing vocal work. The overall mood follows, stirring up a cauldron of fiery leads and then dies slowly, mercifully vanquished.

The epic 11 minute 25 second centerpiece track "The Morning Fields of Amber Grey" is a classic progressive track ("I'll Find You") that has an immediate radiance to its credit, a perfect synopsis of what this talented crew can offer, clanging guitars and deep philharmonic swaths in a musical style closer to recent Phideaux, a prominent bass and rock solid drumming. The slide guitar work is particularly impressive as its no Howe/Gilmour clone, preferring to fit into the overall symphonic mood. Flabbergasting! This is so worthy, it's positively scary! The brief spoken sample of a shaken veteran soldier "Argonne Wood" is a memory of a brutal battle there between Imperial Germany and France but where many US and British soldiers died needlessly. "It was a curse, really"! Perhaps but the finality of death becomes obvious on "Falling" , a ramshackle crater that will entomb so many, the realization that despondency and not courage is what prevails in the end. Another meaningless life in a meaningless war that ultimately changes nothing. The raging speed guitar barrage evokes the infernal desperation brilliantly as the Big Bertha bass and cannonading drums bash along brutally. "A Break in the Clouds" is a piano-fueled moment of 'all quiet on the western front', a brief respite from the savagery to ponder what every soldier's death leaves behind, a family of loved ones who now have no future left. The sizzling axe solo is a sad and mourning adieu, a farewell to arms that never seems to bring any hope. A church bells resonates profoundly.

"Conquered Air" is another lengthy piece, clocking in over 9 minutes and with military precision evokes the senseless frontal assaults, mowed down by machine gunners with no lack of visible targets. "Prayers for the conquered air" think the troops as they crash to the ground, their bodies shredded beyond recognition. The music reflects the gore, pounding flesh on flesh with muscular drumming, colossal salvos of brooding orchestrations mixed in with slippery synth buckshot. Cute pop this is not! The ebb and flow of battle initiates a piano as it shakes in obvious pain, Davis screeches in agony, deeply possessed by the material at hand, heartbeat evident for now.

"Her Green Eyes Blew Goodbye" is a love song and what a song it is, full of overt romanticism in a chorus to expunge over willingly. Davis lets his axe carve some unfathomable sentimental pain, bass bopping around in a frenzy, "trying to find my way home to you" repeated over and over, I mean just utterly beautiful. The explosive ending is stunning, poignant and tear-inducing. Classic playlist track this is! "White Clouds, Finale " signs the truce to end the confrontation, a track that somehow resonates with foolish hope that 'peace in our time' is at hand , a sad mistake that allowed an even worse scourge to be unleashed on mankind 20 years later. The crows are cawing??

This is a masterpiece in my eyes, just my kind of intelligent, well executed, provocative and well-sung progressive rock, with fabulous lyrics and a seductive voice.

5 milky gases

Hello everyone this is my first album review as a member of Progarchives. After reading it I would appreciate if you could Give me some feedback on how I did and what I could do better next time, it would be much appreciated.

White Clouds is a concept album, and this is my interpretation of it, I'm not quite sure if this is 100% percent accurate however this is what I have gathered from the album after listening to it 20 or so times:

White Clouds (Beginning) The album begins with the main character sitting on the English shore. Seagulls can be heard in the background. He begins to reflect on his experiences growing up on the English coast, however he feels that he needs to move on. His optimism towards the future is expressed in the line "There will be white clouds beyond the hills." Overall, the song sets up the album well with a kind of mellow but optimistic tone to the guitar.

First Night In Berlin The song begins with the sound of train in the background. He begins to describe his experiences on his first day in Berlin. Then the music begins to pick up in the background after he describes those around him in Germany turning against him as World War I had just broken out. The tone of the album changes from optimistic to hopeless, and the main character begins to feel that he has no hope of returning to a world of optimism. Other then the story transitioning too quickly between optimism to despair, this song introduces the main plot very well. However that could be expressive of how the world changes very quickly when a war begins.

Stars Of May The main character decides that he is going to leave Germany and return to England, however is denied at customs because the two countries are at war. He decides that he is going to have to return to Berlin and try to live life behind enemy lines. He describes what life is like living alone. He then reflects on the outbreak of World War I, and comes to the conclusion that humanity may have it's problems, however violence is not the answer to these problems. Musically this is one of the heaviest songs on the album, and as a big fan of Heavy Prog, it's also one of my favorites. From this point on, the album is a lot more instrumental than it is in the previous two songs. This is the last song that really introduces the character's situation.

The Morning Fields Of Amber Grey I assume that this is much later on in the war than the episode in Stars Of May. The character walks the broken streets of Berlin, observing all of the obvious changes that have come about as a result of the war. His tone of despair is evident in this song. He begins to pray to God to be able to get through the darkness around him (I believe, when I say this is my own interpretation parts like this can be very dodgy...). This is the longest song on the album, at a little over a 11 minutes 20 seconds. The synthesizer becomes more prominent in this song than in earlier songs, giving it more of a Neo-Prog edge to it. The instrumentals in this song are on point with the subgenre. Overall, the song is very good musically, however it is a dull point in the album lyrically.

Argonne Wood This song is just interviews with World War I veterans of both Allied and Central backgrounds reflecting on The Argonne Forest. This battle was in 1918, which further backs up what I said about the previous song. The interviews are pretty interesting, and they add an aspect of reality to the album. The soldiers describe mustard gas and other aspects of the battle.

Falling This is from a solider's perspective in The Argonne Forest. It describes his experience and ultimately his death. This adds to the reality aspect of the album once again. This is probably the heaviest song on the album. This song just adds to the wonderful musicianship that the Davis' brothers have to offer.

A Break In The Clouds This song brings us back to the story. This is a ballad, and the piano riffs are perfect, making the track serene however also keeping the overall tone of the album at this point. This is the point where the main character realizes that his hope of returning to a normal life is the only thing that drives him at this point. He decides that he would rather die trying to achieve his goal than stay lost in a world of despair.

Conquered Air This is in the dying days of the Great War. The character has returned back to Berlin in hopes of catching a train out of the city to somewhere else beyond the German border. While the passengers are waiting to board the train, they look to the sky hopeful that the daily bombing raids won't delay their exodus from the German Capitol. An air raid alarm sounds, and the main character runs for cover and begins to pray to God for safety. The song goes into an instrumental reflective of the bombing run, and then it begins to describe the Allied soldiers gradual advance on the open battlefield into German territory. The bombing lasts through the night.

Her Green Eyes Blew Goodbye The main character gets out from his hiding place during the bombing raid. It is the morning after, and he is describing his walk through the city. Berlin is in ruins. He describes a man grieving over the loss of a loved one in the streets, and he describes the world as having an illness. During his travel on the street, he comes across a pile of rubble. Inside the rubble, I believe that he finds a bible or holy text of some sort ("Then on the ground/ I found the words you left for me"). This is the shift in the album. His tone returns to his former optimistic tone in the early parts of the album. The piano in this song adds a lot to the emotion surrounding his situation. This song is probably the best musically of any on the album.

White Clouds (Finale) On the final song of the album, the main character begins to reflect on his experiences of the last four years. He comes to the conclusion that war is hell, and the only thing that can get you through that hell is the hope that the world will be different tomorrow. The most important line of the album (in my opinion) is in this song.

"Come with me we'll find a place to go/I'll be the one who lifts you up/Look to the clouds and mourn the millions/Gone that kept their pride"

The lyric reflects all of the thematic aspects of the album perfectly (I will discuss them later). The album ends with the line "There will be white clouds beyond the hills", portraying the return to optimism and hope for the main character.

Themes War is hell. The album describes how a man's life is broken by governmental conflict. However it also describes the psychological effects as well as physical effects of being directly involved. The album describes wars as some of humanity's darkest times.

The only way to get through a time of darkness and despair is to have hope in a better future. This theme parallels the last, using the background of World War I as one of humanity's darkest hours. The album suggests that looking to the future becomes our only option when humanity falls into a pit of despair. The main character comes to realize this in A Break In The Clouds.

(Subtheme): Faith in God is the best way to look to a better tomorrow. As you could tell I shied away from the details of the album that I believed to be theist. This is because I am not quite sure that the people who wrote this have a belief in a prime mover, however I did gather some evidence in the album to back up this conclusion. The only points in the middle of the album that the main character seems to have any hope is when he is reflecting his ideas to God (or who I think to be God), which expresses that faith is the best way to remain optimistic.

Pros The album is a musical masterpiece. There is no song that lacks anything musically on the entire CD. The Davis brothers are incredible musicians. Also lyrically, the album has a fairly complex story and has some fairly in depth themes. All of the lyrics of the album seem to tie together and flow very well, allowing for an overall coherence of the album. The music fits perfectly with the portrayed setting, emotions, and lyrics of the album. Truly incredible.

Cons If I had to say that there was anything bad about this album, I would say that it lacked character development. However I do understand that it is an album, and not a novel so creating a very dynamic character is not something that could really be accomplished in 60 minutes of music.

Overall, I would rate the album a 10/10. If you have never listened to it, you definitely should.

Once again, I would appreciate feedback on my review very much. If you have any ideas about what I should do better next time, then let me know. Also if you have any ideas about the album that you would like to bring up to me, that would be appreciated too. I am very open-minded.

Presenting a rough draft of the blend of the classic 1980s Marillion/Pendragon neo-prog sound on the one hand and thoroughly modern art rock (a la Radiohead or Porcupine Tree) on the other hand that Vienna Circle would perfect on Silhouette Moon, the brothers Davis and their guest make this first Vienna Circle album a confident debut. Drawing on a somewhat smaller pool of personnel than their subsequent album - Russell Wilson is on drums, and aside from guest vocals from Gemma Burch on the second track that is it - almost everything you hear on here is performed personally by the Davis brothers themselves, establishing the duo (especially main soloist Paul) as interesting new talents in the prog scene with a lot of potential, even if that potential isn't fully realised here.