Reviews 14

Calyx Calix
Cancoes De Beurin
2000
Sony Music
promotional CD from the band

Calix is a five-piece band originating from Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Members of the band include Renato Savassi (Flute and lead vocals), Marcelo Cioglia (Bass), Sanzio Brandao (Guitar), Andre Godoy (Drums), and Rufino Silverio (Keyboards). Recorded between August 1999 and January 2000, Cancoes De Beurin features twelve tracks, ten of which are original compositions of the band.

Cancoes De Beurin is an interesting CD to me. My experience in listening to Brazilian progressive rock is based on the Symphonic bands like Bacamarte, Blezqi Zatsaz, O’ Terco, Quantum II and the various works by Marcus Viana. Cancoes De Beurin is totally different in that it doesn’t use the symphonic approach by the above bands, but is more similar to some English, French and Italian progressive rock bands.

My first impression of the music was that these guys are very accomplished musicians with a good grasp of melody and tempo. Flute plays prominently in most of the songs, and while thoughts of Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull come to mind, the music is very dissimilar. I must admit I am not a huge Tull fan and flute playing doesn’t do much for me in the rock context, but I do like the melody and countermelody of Renato Savassi’s flute playing on this CD. As a rock band, Calix is on the light to medium side with limited guitar and keyboard solos. The band's strength is in composition and structure.

Highlights of the CD are "Alem do Vento," which features great flute and keyboard melodies and a very nice rock beat. This song has elements of IQ and Camel written all over it and represents the main single of the CD. "Kian," one of the non-original songs by the group features lyrics and music by Marcos Viana. It is also a very nice song, which features very nice flute and guitar solos. My favorite track is the title track. It starts with piano and acoustic guitar melodies with vocals joining soon after. These beautiful melodies continue throughout most of the song. Towards the end of the song, the vocals take on a more emotional tone and the drums and guitar pick up the beat. The song concludes with a great, emotional guitar solo reminiscent of Nick Barrett of Pendragon and David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Very nice. The other songs on the CD have many of the same elements of the above listed highlights and also feature interesting native and exotic instruments, including the Indian Tambura.

Calix can't really be classified as a full-fledged progressive rock band, as they tend to flip-flop between pop and more progressive rock styles. I would however, recommend this CD to progressive rock fans who want a different musical experience. This is good music by good musicians. – KP

Igor Garsnek and Data
Loomade (Animal) Farm
Boheme Music
promotional CD from Boheme Music

As the name suggests, this is a musical retelling of the George Orwell classic. This is an allegorical tale about a group of animals who are fed up with being treated like second-class citizens and overthrow their human owners to make a better life for themselves. Since the book is really a story about the Communist Revolution it is interesting to note that this CD comes from Estonia, one of the countries which, until recently, was part of the nation created by that very event.

This CD has a lot going for it. First of all, the ideas behind it are every bit as ambitious as they sound. It is a daunting task to take any piece of literature and set it to music, yet Garsnek and Co. seem up to the task. The music has a distinctive Russian feel, mixing original ideas with traditional styles of chord progression and melody. Another bright spot is the late Urmas Alender (formerly of the group Ruja, along with bandmate Garsnek), who provides the lead vocals. Without a doubt, the most original and interesting thing about this album is the fact that all of the background vocals are provided courtesy of a choir named Olevene. Most of the singing is done in a choir format, with Alender leading the way. There are a few spots where he sings by himself, but usually Olevene is singing with him . If you have ever heard Russian or Eastern European choirs, than you may already have a good idea of what this sounds like.

With so much energy put into the vocals, the rest of the album tends to be a little more lackluster. The music is rather straightforward and fast, with most of its attention focused on the choir. The accompaniments are done courtesy of Garsnek on keyboards, guest guitarist Mihkel Raud, and by Tiit Aunaste, who gets a credit as drum programmer. As that title suggests, none of the drums on this CD are real. Why they opted for programmed drums is anybody's guess, but this provides one of the main drawbacks to the album. It is almost impossible to substitute drum machines for the real thing in a rock forum and still sound energetic. This album is no exception. The drums tend to play only the straightforward beat of the song, with a few fills thrown in for good measure. However, they lack the energy that could have been provided had a real drummer been involved. The guitar work on this album is a little sparse, but is very nice. The keyboards provide the main instrumental thrust. This is not altogether bad, as Garsnek is definitely an accomplished player. He is able to play well both as a lead soloist and as rhythm player. All that being said, however, it is important to note that the main problem with the album comes from the keyboards. The fact that this album was released in the late 1980s becomes painfully obvious about two minutes into it. The sounds that Garsnek chose to use are dated at best, and unfortunately in many places can only be described with words like "cheesy," "weak," or even "instructional video." It is a shame that this is the case, because really the rest of the music on this album is enjoyable and engaging to listen to.

It is nice to note that Data did a great job of keeping the spirit of the work alive. The music tends to be as fast as the action in the book. It is very solid, with very little leeway for wandering instrumentals. The bulk of the album is in an upbeat style until the very end, where the music takes a refreshingly depressing turn as the characters in the story realize something about themselves and the world. Knowledge of the original book would help, as the CD comes only with lyrics partly translated. If you are looking for something a little different, and you don't mind the fact that the keyboards sound a little dated, this CD might be a step in the right direction. – CH

Finisterre
Storybook
2001
MoonJune Records
promotional CD from MoonJune Records

If you haven't heard of this band from the boot of Italy before, it's high time you started listening. Finisterre might very well be one of those few modern prog bands that successfully fits into the style and vein of the earlier prog masters. At the risk of sounding pejorative, there is very little "modern" about Finisterre's music. It's an interesting feature of prog, but while in most musical circles that comment would be considered an insult, in the prog circle it can truly be recognized as a form of high praise. The key is to make music that sounds right out of the classic prog of the 1970s while making sure that the music itself is not just a rip-off or a rehash of everything that has gone on before. It is in this way that Finisterre shows that they are a band that needs to be heard. "Storybook" is an account of Finisterre's live performance at the ProgDay Festival in North Carolina in 1997. It is an outstanding recording of energy and performance, and one that shows a band with talent and skill putting on what can only be described as a stellar performance. One note of caution to everyone out there who already is aware of Finisterre: Out of the 8 tracks on this song, all but one were released earlier in a limited edition under the name of "Live at ProgDay '97" (only track 4 is a completely new release).

It's almost useless to try to compare them to any one band or style from the hey-days of progressive rock. There are so many influences that could be mentioned. First of all, Finisterre definitely has a jazz ring to their sound. It shows up first thing on the album with a lilting, fast-paced opening melody courtesy of Sergio Grazia on flute. The flute plays a vital role in the music on this CD, and in many cases this is especially true in the jazzier passages. There are long instrumental sections where the rest of the band plays backup, giving Sergio a chance to shine. Many of these sections have a lighter jazz feel to them. The flute never takes on a harder edge. Rather, Sergio prefers to play clear ands melodic tones. While there is a strong jazz influence, that is not the only sound of the album. There are also strong symphonic overtones. Many of the slower and more melodic sections recall Wakeman's days with Yes, or the lush sound of Camel. Boris Valle's keyboards fill the spectrum of sound when he wants them to, yet he can also play sparse and sparingly.

The classical influence can also be felt with the guitar work of Stefano Marelli. Instead of using his playing to wail or shriek, much of his work is more pastel, adding almost a troubadour-like feel to the music via classical guitar. At times he breaks out and solos, plays the melody, but even then there is a musical idea he is trying to convey. At times bluesy, at times textural, Marelli adds a range of styles and sounds to Finisterre.

The music on Storybook ranges from fast-paced rock or jazz to slower, melodic, pastoral sections, yet each one carries with it a similar sound which can only be described using the word "classic." The songs are anything but standard rock fare, offering everything from slow, melodic singing to fast-paced instrumentals. The band refuses to stay in one place very long and the result is an ear-fest which constantly changes and intrigues, but still somehow manages to sound organized, structured, and smooth. Anyone familiar with the grand days of prog, and Italian prog in particular, should have no trouble understanding and thoroughly enjoying the music on this album. – CH

Visit the MoonJune Records website.

Grey Lady Down
Star-Crossed
Perfect Pop Music
promotional CD from the band

Star-Crossed is the fifth album by this Oxford-based quintet. In the past they have received some well-deserved praise as they have shown themselves to be a cut above most of what passes for progressive rock these days (especially in the neo-prog world, where they are generally catalogued). Their newest outing continues in the same vein, offering exceptional music, great vocals, and lyrics that thankfully do not fit the norm in the music biz these days.

This is progressive rock in the true sense of the word. It presents itself as rock and roll – we have all the traditional instruments (bass, drums, guitar, keyboard), all the traditional sounds-yet it very clearly becomes more than that. The music contains just enough rock/pop notions to be catchy and easily accessible, yet it doesn't reside solely in that area. The songs each take on a life of their own – interesting rhythms, great solos, beautifully written instrumental sections that are not only well put together, but also have the advantage of being played by musicians who are talented enough to play them well. All of the musicians are well represented on this album without ever upstaging each other. Martin Wilson is the singer, and if anything, his vocals are almost too good. His style is full of emotion and dynamics, and his voice carries with it a stage-like presence that seems to demand live performances to do it justice.

At first listen the music itself may strike you as relatively accessible and "normal" for the world of prog. This is not because of a lack of imagination or skill on the part of GLD – rather the opposite. A great musician once said that the key to playing odd time signatures was to play them so that they sounded normal. A deeper look at "Star-crossed" reveals the fact that this is true about GLD's music. There are so many sections on this album that sound right, so easy to listen to, that the difficulty underneath fails to register at first. You may think you're listening to pretty straightforward music, but more listens show that underneath there is a rumbling layer of motion and ideas. Section after section of different times and keys are present, some used to feature solo players, some used to feature the band as a whole. Solos are melodic and used to push the main themes of the song rather than to stroke the ego of the players.

The music on this album is full of ideas, providing a constant source of energy that is present throughout the whole work. It's hard to get bored listening to this as there are so many interesting sections. Like proggers of old, GLD seems to hate to stay put. Each song may have its roots in rock, but as the tunes progress, very quickly they begin to change their shape and feel. Each song has a myriad of sections with many changes of time and rhythm – sometimes played as a solo section, sometimes as an ensemble. The players are all up to the task of handling these changes, and each successive track brings with it new surprises, deep songwriting, and great playing. It might take a few listens to truly appreciate the depth of this record, but it's well worth it.

With five albums under their belt and a renewed sense of vision, the future looks bright for GLD, and Star-Crossed certainly speaks of great music to come. – CH

Hughes Hall
Pacifica
2000
Independent Records, Inc.
promotional CD from the artist

You may not know Hughes Hall, but it's likely you have heard some of his work. He has worked in the Hollywood film industry since the '80s, working on the set of "The A-Team" and scoring movies and TV shows like "Seven" and "Dark City." Recently Hall reevaluated his artistic vision and decided to return to more personally fulfilling music in the form of progressive rock.

Hall is a native Californian, and his music is inspired in part by the active outdoor lifestyles and the environmentally diverse landscapes for which California is famous. Several of the 10 instrumental pieces on Pacifica project a dreamy sunnyness and optimism that could only have been inspired by a lifetime of days spent surfing in the cool blue waters of California's beaches. Hall has even named a piece on Pacifica after a legendary Santa Barbara surf spot called Rincon. Don't think Pacifica is remotely Beach Boys or Jan & Dean, however. Nor is it mindless music for shallow Hollywood types. Pacifica is artful, introspective instrumental music created by a talented musician who happens to be a California surfer inspired by his surroundings. Forget about L.A. freeways, earthquakes and rising electric bills. This is sound of the Santa Ana winds blowing spray off the tops of the waves on a clear day in the wintertime. This is the sight of kelp bulbs floating in the oily sheen of the Pacific at evening glass off. This is the feeling of driving down the Pacific Coast Highway in anticipation of what's around the next bend in the coastline.

Hall claims the influence of a wide range of progressive-minded artists from the past and present like Kraftwerk, Synergy, Weather Report, Pat Metheny, Steve Hillage, Yes and Ozric Tentacles. The jazz fusion and electronic slants in his tastes are especially undeniable on Pacifica. Pat Metheny's smoother work (in the "smooth jazz" sense) looms especially large, and a general Windham Hill type of new age feel permeates large portions of the album. There must be some George Winston piano albums in Hall's record collection somewhere.

Various synths, keyboards and drum machines are used extensively and always tastefully throughout Pacifica. Also, some nice, low-key electric guitar work makes for some nice, organic sounding variation against the largely electronic backdrop of Pacifica. The most interesting pieces on Pacifica are the more energetic ones. "Earth, Sea, Sky" is a winning album opener, which sets an optimistic mood with its subtle up-tempo drum machine rhythms and clean, refreshing guitar melodies. "Big Valley" has a similar feel. It benefits from several thematic and harmonic changes that occur against a never-ending synth ostinato that keeps the whole thing cohesive. Ozric Tentacles seems to be the main influence on these pieces. Both of them blur the lines between techno and space rock in a similar fashion to what the dreadlocked Brits have done so well for so long.

Some of the less interesting music on Pacifica is characterized by melancholy synthetic acoustic guitar and piano melodies that drift by on cushiony-soft digital synth pads without doing much to grab the listener's attention. Several of the pieces on Pacifica start out in this manner, but fortunately they almost always eventually lead to something more interesting, like a guitar solo or more aggressive rhythms. Most of the tracks on Pacifica are a mixed bag, starting out slow and getting more interesting throughout their respective durations. As a result, one's appreciation for the album is highly dependent on one's ability to resist hitting the skip button within the first 30 seconds of each piece.

Pacifica offers some rewarding, relaxing music for the patient. Hall's strength as a composer is his ability to use thematic, rhythmic and harmonic changes to bring about emotions in the listener. Possibly this is where his prog rock influences manifest themselves most strongly. Hall has also succeeded in blending a myriad of influences into a unique and original artistic vision that really doesn't fit easily into any one category – prog rock included. Most of Pacifica is too subdued to accurately be called rock music of any sort, but it often has just a little too much going on to appeal to new age or smooth jazz enthusiasts. Hall intended for Pacifica to exist outside the "'genre-centric' mentality that is currently the result of music industry marketing practices." In this sense, at the very least, Pacifica is a complete success. – SH

Pacifica is available at CD Street
Visit the Hughes Hall website.
Listen to an excerpt of “Earth Sea Sky” from Hughes Hall’s Pacifica.
MP3 format. 1 minute/528k

Little Tragedies
Porcelain Pavilion
2000
Boheme Music
promotional CD from Boheme Music

In case you haven't noticed, Russian label Boheme Music is in the midst of scouring Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union to bring us reissues of prog rock albums most of us never knew existed. But Russia's treasures aren't all to be found in reissues. Little Tragedies' Porcelain Pavilion is a new presentation from Boheme that exceeds expectations of what new prog rock should be.

Like much of classic prog rock Porcelain Pavilion draws heavily on classical music and relies very much on keyboards. In fact, this "band" is really little more than a one man project by keyboardist/composer/vocalist Gennady Ilyin, who is joined by a guitarist and possibly some other uncredited musicians. Bombast and pomposity of an Emersonian flavor is often the hallmark of such keyboard-led prog groups, but it is almost entirely absent here. Little Tragedies approaches classical prog from a uniquely delicate angle. The sounds of muted pizzicato strings, tinkly mallet percussion, and polite harpsichord melodies that conjure an air of 17th century high society dominate much of the album. To keep things interesting, however, Russian folk melodies as well as ideas borrowed from jazz and heavy rock creep in and out of the music. Composer Maurice Ravel seems to be a particularly important influence on Little Tragedies, as his melding of classical and jazz motifs is echoed in several passages on Porcelain Pavilion. His "Bolero" is even quoted briefly in the form of a really cool organ solo on "Laos."

What makes this album a real treat is Ilyin's sumptuous synthesizer playing. He adeptly uses the expressive capabilities (pitch bend, modulation, portamento, etc.) of a battery of analog and digital synths to contribute to the passion and poetry of his compositions. To hear analog synths played so artfully and articulately on a modern prog record is sheer joy. The fact that these are not the same early '70s synth sounds most prog fans are used to hearing helps to further enhance this CD's uniqueness. Rarely since the halcyon days of prog's synth masters like Wakeman, Watkins and Jobson has any progressive rock keyboardist realized the potential of his instruments to such satisfying results. However, Ilyin rarely approaches the same level of instrumental virtuoso hubris of which some of prog's great keyboardists have sometimes been guilty. Ilyin's style is one of concise yet potent melodies that compliment each composition. His playing is never excessive or unnecessarily flashy. Solos are kept short and sweet, leaving the listener craving more.

By the same token, all of the songs on Porcelain Pavilion are succinct and modest in their length and composition. Ilyin seems to be all too aware of prog rock's history of excessiveness and strives relentlessly to avoid wearing out his welcome on the listener's attention span. The longest song on this CD barely breaks the six-minute mark. Several songs don't make it to five minutes. Don't think these short songs are radio ready material, however. Porcelain Pavilion is prog rock of a very high order indeed. Little Tragedies just takes a different approach than most bands. Whereas bands like Yes, ELP and Magma composed large-scale musical tomes, Little Tragedies has composed sonnets — short musical poems that sometimes seem almost unfinished, but are none the less successful.

Adding to the poetic feel of Porcelain Pavilion is the delicate vocal style, apparently also provided by Ilyin. All lyrics are in Russian and most of the vocals are more whispered than sung. This helps to create a mysterious feel that is very engaging and quite unique.

A close inspection of the music on this CD reveals one of the only flaws it exhibits. There is very little real rock drumming to speak of on Porcelain Pavilion. Often, orchestral percussion in the form of cymbals, bass drum, snare, triangle, etc. provides what little percussion is necessary to each track. Other tracks that require rock-style drumming, however, make use of a drum machine. While it may be somewhat disappointing to learn that an otherwise very tasteful, high quality album such as this is marred by one of these contraptions, don't be discouraged. It is used minimally and very tastefully. When it is used, it is cleverly programmed and almost always buried in the mix so that attention is drawn away from it. While it is unfortunate that a kit drummer was not used instead of a machine, Porcelain Pavilion does not suffer too much for it. Some listeners may even find it difficult to tell which tracks use the machine and which use real percussion.

Porcelain Pavilion is an extremely successful and original release that is likely to appeal to a wide range of prog enthusiasts. It is highly recommended to anyone searching for originality and substance in new progressive rock. – SH

Listen to an excerpt of “Moon on a Sea” from Little Tragedies' Porcelain Pavilion.
MP3 format. 53 seconds/426k

Rainy Season
Return
2000
Boheme Music
promotional CD from Boheme Music

Yet another musical treasure recently brought to light by Boheme Music is this 1992 recording from St. Petersburg, Russia's Rainy Season. This album quietly shatters boundaries within and around the progressive rock idiom. It's tempting to apply labels like "new age," "Berlin School" or "ambient" to Rainy Season's music, but none of these completely fits. Most of the music on Return is quite understated and meditative, but that doesn't keep searing guitar solos and pounding, tribal drum beats from drifting in and out of the mix occasionally. Modern synthesizers are used extensively to provide a dark, foggy chordal undercurrent, but not to the point that this has to be called "electronic music."

Somber, contemplative and beautiful, Return is full of music that lives up to the name Rainy Season. The album is comprised of three excellent, basically instrumental pieces that range in length from seven to 20 minutes. Each piece is longer and more developed than the last, and each piece grows in intensity throughout its duration. This creates a very natural ascension toward the climax at the end of the album.

The longest and most interesting piece on Return is "Red Night," a 20 minute epic that begins with footsteps, then some haunted-house guitar string scraping before a repetitive chordal melody sets in. After the eight-minute mark, things get a bit ominous with the addition of some haunting, yet lovely, distant female vocals. Soon things take an even more dramatic turn toward the avant-garde as some noisy guitar soloing is accompanied by what sounds like machine gun fire recorded from old movies. Full-fledged rock drumming eventually kicks in to accompany a portentous melody that would have sounded at home on an ELP album.

Rainy Season did a fine job of producing this entire album in such a way that passages like the aforementioned one never sound too heavy. Everything sounds subdued, even in places where the musicians were probably pounding out the melodies they were playing. This seems to be a unusual way to approach the production of a progressive rock album, and for that Rainy Season deserves some recognition.

The most accurate comparisons one could make between well known progressive rock bands and Rainy Season would probably have to include Ricochet-era Tangerine Dream (for weepy slide guitar and pounding drums) and Jade Warrior (for vaguely exotic flute melodies), but Rainy Season never sounds like anyone else for very long. This is highly original music that defies the usually correct assumption that recent progressive rock is generally derivative of endeavors from the past.

Return is highly recommended to anyone interested in exploring the boundaries of meditative, ethereal progressive rock. – SH

Soniq Theater
Soniq Theater
2000
Private issue CD
Promotional CD from the artist

Soniq Theater is a one-man band consisting of German keyboardist Alfred Müller , formerly of the band Rachel's Birthday. Müller has obviously put a lot of work into the performances and recording of this very professional sounding debut solo effort. Soniq Theater consists of 16 short, mostly instrumental tracks, most of which fit into the modern symphonic prog mold. Keyboards, of course, dominate the sonic landscape throughout the entire album. It seems as though everything on this CD was recorded using digital synthesizers and drum machines. The sounds of Hammond organ, Mellotron, analog synths and even some of the electric guitar seem to be synthetic, though sometimes it's very hard to tell. This will likely be enough to deter some people from fully enjoying this CD, but in the album's defense, everything sounds pretty high quality. Even the programmed drums are fairly convincing in their timbre and in the way they are programmed.

Müller's style of composition and performance seems to be greatly influenced by classical proggers like Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman, with a bit of modern prog metal thrown in for bite. The influence of later ELP (from Works forward) is particularly noticeable. If you've ever heard ELP's Live at the Royal Albert Hall from a few years back, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Soniq Theater, right down to the synth sounds.

While the basic sound on Soniq Theater comes from symphonic prog, the compositional techniques come from a more typical rock direction. Despite being almost entirely instrumental, most of the pieces on Soniq Theater are somewhat basic in their construction. Riffs and melodies tend to appear and reappear with a certain amount of predictability, and drastic changes in theme are few and far between. Usually, two or three themes occupy each track, and the only changes that occur are on the surface. Here, a different keyboard sound is used, there the melody switches from keyboard to guitar. Short, structured faux solos are the name of the game, usually delivered using a rubbery sounding virtual analog synth patch. Basically, what this amounts to is instrumental neo-prog, which automatically makes it better than typical neo-prog, but the limitations of neo are there nonetheless.

Müller is an accomplished keyboard player, and his sonic palette of various keyboard sounds is better than average for a project of this scope. To his credit, Mueller also manages to break out of the typical prog sound in a couple places on this CD. About halfway through the CD we are treated to a break away from the ELP-inspired pomp rock that makes up most of the first 8 tracks. "Palace of Glass" is a beautiful little piece that lives up to its name quite well with a delicate electric piano ostinato and some heavenly synth melodies on top. Unfortunately it ends too soon. This is followed by a very danceable track that sounds frighteningly like a Paula Abdul outtake circa 1987, right down to the funky drum machine rhythms. Thankfully, this is not representative of the rest of the album, but you have to give the man a certain amount of credit for trying to mix things up a little bit.

Soniq Theater is 69 minutes long and contains 16 pieces, most of which are less than five minutes long. Most of these pieces are a little too underdeveloped to please very adventurous proggers, but neo-proggers may find the pleasant synth solos and the instrumental concept novel enough to seriously hold their interest. – SH

Visit the Soniq Theater website.

TriPod
TriPod
2000
private issue CD-R
promotional CD-R from the band

TriPod. There are only three guys in the band. Get it? How prog can a three-piece without a keyboardist be? All real prog bands at least include a keyboardist, right? And this band doesn't have a guitarist either! Bass, drums and saxophone, of all things, are basically all you get on this CD, folks. While you might expect this combination of instruments to yield some kind of cheesy Huey Lewis type of '50s rock, or at best, jazz, either supposition would be way off the mark. TriPod rocks quite nicely, thank you very much. And they don't leave out the prog either.

Many other unknown modern prog bands have taken the (ch)easy way out when compensating for their lack of members. They've resorted to the use of drum machines or relied too heavily on sequencers and computers to play their music for them. Rather than using such crutches to attempt to reconstruct someone else's played-out vision of progressive rock, TriPod (whether by necessity or design) has capitalized on their situation and crafted a unique style of progressive rock out of what many would see as limited resources. The result is lean, sinewy, complex rock propelled by bass riffs and decorated by self-assured, memorable saxophone melodies.

The most distinctive and unique element of TriPod's sound is the saxophone. Keith Gurland's well-honed saxophone skills are always the center of attention on this CD. That may scare some folks away, but even those who generally don't care for horns in their music are likely to be surprised how listenable the sax playing on TriPod is. Gurland's playing is appropriately daring for progressive rock, yet it is melodic and well integrated within the each song's structure. He generally avoids the "dirty" sound and excessiveness that can make many saxophonists so annoying. Gurland doesn't abuse the spotlight, though it would be easy for him to do so. His melodies, tone and technique almost instantly call to mind the work of one of prog rock's greatest saxophonists, David Jackson of Van Der Graaf Generator.

The next most important feature in TriPod's sonic palette is Clint Bahr's 12-string bass. Its sharp, distorted tone is reminiscent of that of King's X's Doug Pinnick (a 12-string bass pioneer), but Bahr's technique is more driven by necessity. He strums chords and arpeggios in a rumbly, guitar-like style that fills in the spaces left vacant by the absence of guitar or keys.

Bahr plays the Geddy Lee role by also supplying vocals and a smattering of synth via bass pedals. The timbre of his voice is very agreeable, sounding a little bit like Greg Lake, but with a slightly shaky delivery in more difficult passages.

With the possible exception of the slightly monotonous "A Most Logical Position," there is not a bad song on TriPod. However, one stands above the rest in terms of progressiveness. The two-part "Incident" suite is the second longest song on the album at nearly eight minutes. The first part, subtitled "Retro-Glide," is a mostly instrumental, fast-paced rave-up that shows what this band can really do when they cut loose.

TriPod is a surprisingly good debut album. It deserves a proper release, but you should buy it now to support the band. You won't be sorry. Besides, it will be a collector's item someday. – SH

TriPod can be obtained by sending $12 to:
PO Box 230582
New York, NY
10023-0582

Visit the TriPod website.

Listen to an excerpt of “Retro-Glide” from TriPod's album.
MP3 format. 43 seconds/620k

Vitchev
Lost in a Fairy Tale
2001
private release
promotional CD from the band

Vitchev are two brothers born in Sofia, Bulgaria and who now reside in the San Francisco Bay area. Hristo plays guitars, keyboards, bass, programming and sequencing and Vladimir provides guitar, keyboards, drum programming and background vocals. Lost in a Fairy Tale was recorded in 2001 and features four long tracks.

Imagine elements of Dream Theater, Steve Vai, and Al DiMeola combined, and that is what you get listening to this CD. Unfortunately the sum isn’t equal to the parts. The strength of the CD is by far the guitar playing. Acoustic and electric guitar is featured with the emphasis on electric guitar. There are many interesting guitar riffs throughout the CD and the soloing really reminds me of Steve Vai. Keyboards play a small role throughout the CD and the playing is really limited to chorus fills and some sequenced synthesizer parts. Drums are done exclusively by drum machine and the CD really suffers from it. There are no vocals in the traditional sense.

The four songs on the CD are based on the same compositional form. That is, Dream Theater-like heavy guitar chords with Steve Vai-like guitar riffs and/or Al DiMeola melodies. I really don’t want to use the cliché that the songs sound the same, but quite honestly, the four songs do sound very similar, and I couldn’t tell you what song was what if I was asked. Like I stated previously, the guitar playing held my interest through most of the songs, but the drum machines really turned me off.

And there’s the rub. Lost in a Fairy Tale offers very competent guitar playing with a good grasp of composition, but it really doesn’t have much soul. Every time I listened to this CD it left me empty of emotion. What this album really needs is more emotional drum playing by a real person. A note in Vitchev’s biography mentioned that they originally wanted a drummer for the recording of this CD, but were unable to find someone with the same tastes and interests. Too bad. A good drummer could increase their appeal to many more people.

I am appreciative of the guitar playing ability of Hristo and Vladimir Vitchev and the imagination it took to write this music. I wish that Vitchev would explore the issue of using more musicians in their music. I believe it would make them a more complete band and would certainly broaden their appeal. Vitchev in its current form shouldn’t be classified as progressive rock, but I can’t really classify it as pure rock either. It really borders both genres. We'll have to wait and see where they end up. – KP

Lost in a Fairy Tale is available at amazon.com.
Visit the Vitchev website.