3-LockBox
02-18-2005, 10:39 AM
Not that there isn't some great moments on this CD. The playing is very virtuostic, though over-rought at times. No... very over-rought, a lot of the time. I love progressive rock, don't get me wrong, but when bands start flexing their muscles and showing 'us' how fast they can change time signatures or playing fast, just for the sake of doing it, they lose me.
Probably a treat for fans of modern jazz-rock or Zappa. Not quite fusion territory, but very jazzy nonetheless. Which should be a good thing. But the the first 6 tracks or so on this CD is too much a workout for me. Track 5, <i>Best Regards</i>, is fairly good Jethro Tull-ish number, save for the vocal harmonies. This CD doesn't grab me until the 7th track, where their prog leanings start to really come through, with track 10, <i>Entry 11-19-93</i> being a standout. In fact, my favorite part of this CD is the final five tracks, which come across as an actuall extended prog-like piece.
This CD's saving graces are that the group's singing is a couple of notches above other bands in the prog genre. The lead vocals aren't anything to shout about, but they don't require multiple listens to get use to them. And the band employs the use of multi-part harmonizing that rivals that of any pop group, past or present. Also, the lyrics here are some of the most pointed and clever you'll here in neoprog, emphasizing word play, with an almost Zappa-like delivery at times. These guys seem somewhat jaded, like in the song <i>The Cheese Stands Alone</i>, where they seem to be relating their collective music experience, in a negative way (no lyrics sheet included to say for sure).
This isn't something I'd recommend to someone upon their first foray into prog. I'd have to say that I will probably skip the frist 6 tracks more often than not. I'm hoping I like <u>Cowboy Poems Free</u> a lot better.
Probably a treat for fans of modern jazz-rock or Zappa. Not quite fusion territory, but very jazzy nonetheless. Which should be a good thing. But the the first 6 tracks or so on this CD is too much a workout for me. Track 5, <i>Best Regards</i>, is fairly good Jethro Tull-ish number, save for the vocal harmonies. This CD doesn't grab me until the 7th track, where their prog leanings start to really come through, with track 10, <i>Entry 11-19-93</i> being a standout. In fact, my favorite part of this CD is the final five tracks, which come across as an actuall extended prog-like piece.
This CD's saving graces are that the group's singing is a couple of notches above other bands in the prog genre. The lead vocals aren't anything to shout about, but they don't require multiple listens to get use to them. And the band employs the use of multi-part harmonizing that rivals that of any pop group, past or present. Also, the lyrics here are some of the most pointed and clever you'll here in neoprog, emphasizing word play, with an almost Zappa-like delivery at times. These guys seem somewhat jaded, like in the song <i>The Cheese Stands Alone</i>, where they seem to be relating their collective music experience, in a negative way (no lyrics sheet included to say for sure).
This isn't something I'd recommend to someone upon their first foray into prog. I'd have to say that I will probably skip the frist 6 tracks more often than not. I'm hoping I like <u>Cowboy Poems Free</u> a lot better.