BarryL
01-25-2005, 07:34 AM
I'm probably late to the game on this one, but this CD Creatures by Frogg Cafe on Progrock Records is outstanding prog. It's a modern throwback to the first half of the 1970s.
The band plays at a nice casual pace with melodic singing and tasteful playing, with just enough dissonance to keep things interesting. The band sounds fresh and creative, and very comfortable with the material. The recording and production quality are outstanding, and the vocals are also outstanding, which is often a problem with prog bands.
There are some clear influences here, including Gentle Giant (on the track All This Time), Ambroais (on Creatures, which is on the Progrock sampler that came with the latest Progressions magazine), U.K., and King Crimson (espcially on the third, The Celestial Metal Can), a funky Jean Luc-Ponty (on the fourth track, Gagutz, which moves through jazzy violin and trumper solos), and PFM with a hint of Kansas (on the 21:15 minute fifth and final track, Waterfall Carnival).
I wish I had found this album sooner, because it's the kind of music that I spend so much time searching for. At another time and place, this would have been a killer hit album, but I think it makes the grade as a modern prog classic better than do most others.
The band plays at a nice casual pace with melodic singing and tasteful playing, with just enough dissonance to keep things interesting. The band sounds fresh and creative, and very comfortable with the material. The recording and production quality are outstanding, and the vocals are also outstanding, which is often a problem with prog bands.
There are some clear influences here, including Gentle Giant (on the track All This Time), Ambroais (on Creatures, which is on the Progrock sampler that came with the latest Progressions magazine), U.K., and King Crimson (espcially on the third, The Celestial Metal Can), a funky Jean Luc-Ponty (on the fourth track, Gagutz, which moves through jazzy violin and trumper solos), and PFM with a hint of Kansas (on the 21:15 minute fifth and final track, Waterfall Carnival).
I wish I had found this album sooner, because it's the kind of music that I spend so much time searching for. At another time and place, this would have been a killer hit album, but I think it makes the grade as a modern prog classic better than do most others.