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I am not giving you a TL;DR warning.  You'd better assume it's too long, but here's my NEARfest 2009 review for the 2 main days...

Day One:

NEARfest day one started with a bit of a rough wake up…Friday night had been a touch fraught, and I know we had some slight issues dragging ourselves out of bed.  A shower helped…but not long after getting to Lehigh on Saturday morning, I started feeling decidedly unwell.  I dehydrated very, very quickly (air con over night and a lot of humidity contributing to a heat index higher than the actual temp may have contributed), and I had to get some water and stuff pumped into me.  I joked that they had bottles of water and were jamming the tops into my mouth and squeezing the water down my throat.  In any event, I was feeling well enough at that point to hit the theatre for…

CABEZAS DE CERA (Heads of Wax) from Mexico.  What an interesting set of music from these guys.  Unique custom made instruments, heavy folk and electronic influences, their sound would range from the precious and acoustic to wild waves of sound.  I can’t describe them all that well…they are labeled as avant and RiO, and some people called them space rock for some reason, but for me, they were just CdC…and I dug them enough to pick up a pair of discs to relive the experience.  Good stuff.

I think at this point I had one or two bottles of OJ, and headed back to the vending room to sell an ever depleting pile of shirts and programs and pint glasses.  Wanted a tan shirt?  Sorry, you’re out of luck, we’re out.  3X shirt?  Sold out yesterday, so sorry.  We had our full crew behind the table, and at our best, we were a well-oiled machine working around each other quite well.

Vendor rooms close, and we head up for OBLIVION SUN from here in the US.  2 Happy the Man members (Happy the Men?), a member of Present, Adrian Belew’s drummer, and a second keyboardsist, playing fun, fusiony symphonic music that included some classic HtM tracks, some excellent new stuff with quirky as ever titles (“Dead Sea Squirrels,” or ‘nature’s road bumps’ as claimed by Stanley Whitaker), and enough chops for a clinic.  Stan looked and played great…we (Stan and I) had a chance to chat a bit before the set and it was wonderful to share some stuff that we had in common.  That rocked, and was probably my emotional highlight of the festival.

It was lunch time, and we hit the catering room for sandwiches and drinks.  They hit the spot.  Not much more to say there, really.  We got all re-energised for the next act, which was…

DFA from Italy.  I was looking forward to these guys, and they did not disappoint.  Great instrumental symphonic rock from Italy with just a touch of fusion goodness.  I finally splurged and got the other two albums I needed to complete my collection, so I can identify the tracks I didn’t already know, but they were stellar live.  Really got into them, and was glad to see them finally.

Dinner was a bit of a debacle, as meal tickets weren’t available, and the on site vendors closed down due to the weather.  So we foraged for stuff to get us through the next band.  I’d been doing everything possible to downplay them, trying to not build up expectation or anticipation, but soon the denouement would have to be had…the lights dimmed, and onto the stage came GONG.

I’ll say it here, as clear as possible.  I loved their set.  They played superbly.  It was tight, and spacy, and trippy, and I really loved it.  Daevid was in fine form despite being sick.  Steve Hillage played fantastically.  Miquette was fun on keys…playing, dancing, swaying, jumping.  Theo Travis was wicked on the sax.  The set was killer…I can’t ask for anything better.  The new stuff was good.  It was just wild all the way around.  Made it to the encore and we headed down stairs to catch up with a few people before we headed off into the night to search out french toast before hitting the hay for day two…

Day Two

If waking up Saturday was rough, you don’t want to know how waking up Sunday was.  Still, I made the decision this time to have a couple glasses of water first thing, and we stopped off at the Dunkin Donuts before heading down to the venue.  That water, and the bottle of OJ, really made the difference, and I had no problems at all Sunday.  The place was pretty empty, and the vending rooms were slow.  I know that Sharon was excited to see the first two bands, and we made sure to get up to the theatre in time for the Sunday opener…

QUANTUM FANTAY, from Belgium.  So much energy.  So much personality.  So much more space rock.  These guys got a huge response from the sleepy NF crowd…so much so that they sold out of CDs and other merch.  They bounded around the stage, wailed on guitar and bass, thrashed the drums, and coaxed swirly synth sounds from their instruments.  I wish I had picked up their CD/DVD set, but there’s always mail order.  I liked them, and Sharon dug them enough that she bought the entire catalogue!  Sunday opener slots have seen some of the most exciting surprising sets at NF…Hidria Spacefolk, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Guapo, and now these guys.  Big things lie ahead for them I think.

BEARDFISH followed.  I was really looking forward to them, and so was Sharon.  Neither of us were disappointed.  I love their vintage sound, with loads of great keyboard textures, excellent guitar, and above all, killer songwriting.  They didn’t worry about the crowd, playing the ‘controversial’ “Roulette” and “The Gooberville Ballroom Dancer” as early as possible.  Nothing like a healthy dose of bikers named Jesus and motherf*^&ers, eh?  They played some stuff off the forthcoming album, whose release I now worry about with things getting as dicey as they are (SPV bankrupt, Beardfish and PoS pulled off the Prog Nation tour).  I am glad I got to see them, and I hope to whoever is listening that they can be brought back over soon.

Lunch was bison burgers from the vendors outside.  They were good.  I was tired.  The sun was out.  We’d been hanging out with Ray and Tom from echolyn a bit, as one does at these festivals.  We’d also been hanging out with the guys from Quantum Fantay a bit, and Rikard and the others from Beardfish, who as I said above were awesome.  Time was growing short, so we headed in for the third band on day two…

TRETTIOARIGA KRIGET from Sweden.  They’re a classic band…for a while, one of the few 1970’s Swedish bands you could find releases from.  At their heaviest they are what Rush would sound like if they were a prog band.  And yes, they played a healthy dose of the heavier stuff…and a lot of their quieter, more restrained pieces.  I like them, and I liked their performance.  I think they were the wrong band at the wrong time, really…they were too relaxed for a set late in the afternoon on the second day of the festival.  I think DFA’s energy would have worked better here.  And I know that people had a major issue with the falsetto vocals.  Still, I liked them, and they deserved to be here.

Dinner break arrived, and I packed enough away to make sure I’d get through the final band.  I had high hopes yet again, and I had a feeling they’d be met.

PREMIATA FORNEIRA MARCONI did more than meet them.  They exceeded them a thousand times over.  One always worries when a classic band says they are gonna play a lot of newer material.  Well, the songs from Stati di Imaginazione more than belonged in the set…they were every bit as vital as the classic material.  And what a selection of classic material…’Dove…Quando,” “Impressioni di Settembre," “Out at the Roundabout.”  I was waiting for “E’Festa,” and I was blown away…it take s a lot to get 1000 people at NEARfest out of their chairs, yet PFM achieved this.  They got audience participation.  I saw 1000 people dancing and jumping.  I felt the walls shake.  I heard them screaming on request.  It was thrilling, and one of the best performances I have ever seen at NEARfest. 

But this year’s NEARfest was about far more than the music.  It was about meeting up with people I see once a year.  It was about repaying the people who so graciously and generously allowed me (and in the end, my girl) into the inside, allowing us to become part of this breathing, living entity.  It was about seeing the festival in a whole new light.  If NEARfest 2009 was anything, it was a rebirth in so many different ways.  I came out better than I went in.  In the end, NEARfest 2009 will perhaps be the most memorable one for me.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

This came out of left field...I didn't realise it was coming. Then again, I don't have Peter Hammill's news page bookmarked, only the lyrics page. Must remedy that. In any event, onward...

[font="trebuchet ms;"][id="lbldescription"]Now here's something exciting! The Trisector trio of Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Peter Hammill performing an almost 2 hour concert with a great set-list in front of a tremendously enthusiastic crowd on April 14, 2007, all captured professionally.

"The Paradiso has been the scene of several epic shows in VdGG's past. This one's a gem of an addition to the collection. This was our first tour as a trio and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were well into our stride, having played nine previous shows. There's a mixture of old, new and rediscovered material here. The emphasis, though, is on looking forward rather than backward."-Peter Hammill

1. Lemmings
2. A Place To Survive
3. Lifetime
4. (In The) Black Room
5. Every Bloody Emperor
6. All That Before
7. Gog
8. Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild
9. The Sleepwalkers
10. Man-Erg
11. Scorched Earth

This is available on both CD and DVD, with the DVD also featuring an interview with PH from 2009. Looks like a must have!

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Ah Man, VDGG! the Trio were so full of power! Saw them just before trisector was released, one of the best gigs i've attended. Gog was just literally mind-blowing in intensity with suitably red themed lighting. Peter Hammill lives near me, I sort of keep hoping i'll bump into him in the city. thoroughly recommended!

Also cant wait for a review of the recent Magma studio box set.

Project2501



QUANTUM FANTAY, from Belgium.  So much energy.  So much personality.  So much more space rock.  These guys got a huge response from the sleepy NF crowd…so much so that they sold out of CDs and other merch.  They bounded around the stage, wailed on guitar and bass, thrashed the drums, and coaxed swirly synth sounds from their instruments.  I wish I had picked up their CD/DVD set, but there’s always mail order.  I liked them, and Sharon dug them enough that she bought the entire catalogue!  Sunday opener slots have seen some of the most exciting surprising sets at NF…Hidria Spacefolk, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Guapo, and now these guys.  Big things lie ahead for them I think.

These guys always reminded me of the Ozrics. Good band.

last.fm / facebook / myspace music / myspace / prOgulus / lifer / progrockin'

drumouse


Ah Man, VDGG! the Trio were so full of power! Saw them just before trisector was released, one of the best gigs i've attended. Gog was just literally mind-blowing in intensity with suitably red themed lighting. Peter Hammill lives near me, I sort of keep hoping i'll bump into him in the city. thoroughly recommended!

Also cant wait for a review of the recent Magma studio box set.

I posted the review here:

http://billsprogblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/cd-review-magma-studio-zund-seventh.html

I won't copy it back over as the list of musos is longer than the review, heh!  Long and short: essential if you love the band and don't have everything on CD yet, otherwise perhaps not an economical purchase if you are only buying it for the 2 Archiw discs.  For me, it made sense, as I have a good bit of the catalogue on official MP3, and not disc.  Plus the liner notes were awesome.  Looks great too...now only if they'd put togehter some kind of slipcase for the Mythes et Legendes DVDs...

as for DefyingMortality and his comments on Quantum Fantay...I find QF to be heavier in general than the more modern Ozrics releases...and I find that Hidria Spacefolk does the really trippy swirly space rock thing better than OT does these days...the student has surpassed the master, IMO.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Project2501


This came out of left field...I didn't realise it was coming. Then again, I don't have Peter Hammill's news page bookmarked, only the lyrics page. Must remedy that. In any event, onward...

[font="trebuchet ms;"][id="lbldescription"]Now here's something exciting! The Trisector trio of Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Peter Hammill performing an almost 2 hour concert with a great set-list in front of a tremendously enthusiastic crowd on April 14, 2007, all captured professionally.

"The Paradiso has been the scene of several epic shows in VdGG's past. This one's a gem of an addition to the collection. This was our first tour as a trio and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were well into our stride, having played nine previous shows. There's a mixture of old, new and rediscovered material here. The emphasis, though, is on looking forward rather than backward."-Peter Hammill

1. Lemmings
2. A Place To Survive
3. Lifetime
4. (In The) Black Room
5. Every Bloody Emperor
6. All That Before
7. Gog
8. Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild
9. The Sleepwalkers
10. Man-Erg
11. Scorched Earth

This is available on both CD and DVD, with the DVD also featuring an interview with PH from 2009. Looks like a must have!

Good news indeed, but even more incredible is that THE NEW FUCKING PETER HAMMILL ALBUM IS OUT.

I just happened to go to his site after seeing your post, and promptly placed my order for it.  Omg, I can't believe I didn't know this was out yet...

I loved Singularity.  Can't wait to hear this one.

drumline0671

Project2501


This came out of left field...I didn't realise it was coming. Then again, I don't have Peter Hammill's news page bookmarked, only the lyrics page. Must remedy that. In any event, onward...

[font="trebuchet ms;"][id="lbldescription"]Now here's something exciting! The Trisector trio of Hugh Banton, Guy Evans and Peter Hammill performing an almost 2 hour concert with a great set-list in front of a tremendously enthusiastic crowd on April 14, 2007, all captured professionally.

"The Paradiso has been the scene of several epic shows in VdGG's past. This one's a gem of an addition to the collection. This was our first tour as a trio and by the time we arrived in Amsterdam we were well into our stride, having played nine previous shows. There's a mixture of old, new and rediscovered material here. The emphasis, though, is on looking forward rather than backward."-Peter Hammill

1. Lemmings
2. A Place To Survive
3. Lifetime
4. (In The) Black Room
5. Every Bloody Emperor
6. All That Before
7. Gog
8. Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild
9. The Sleepwalkers
10. Man-Erg
11. Scorched Earth

This is available on both CD and DVD, with the DVD also featuring an interview with PH from 2009. Looks like a must have!

Good news indeed, but even more incredible is that THE NEW FUCKING PETER HAMMILL ALBUM IS OUT.

I just happened to go to his site after seeing your post, and promptly placed my order for it.  Omg, I can't believe I didn't know this was out yet...

I loved Singularity.  Can't wait to hear this one.

Yep yep.

This weekend I am ordering the 2 VdGG releases tho

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Where can we order those?  I don't see them...

drumline0671


Where can we order those?  I don't see them...

www.waysidemusic.com

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Ordered CD + DVD.

I haven't been this excited for new releases in quite a while.

drumline0671


Ordered.

I haven't been this excited for new releases in quite a while.

Son...my GF is already saying I am addicted, but she is saying it is better that it is CDs and not heroin or meth

BTW...before I forget...the first two bands for NF 2010 have been announced...

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Three Friends.....wow.  That is damn cool!

Haven't heard of the other one though.

drumline0671


Three Friends.....wow.  That is damn cool!

Haven't heard of the other one though.

The Forgas Band is awesome.  7 to 10 piece band, led by a very excellent drummer, with horns and strings, playing bigger band Canterbury influenced and driven jazz.  All instrumental, loads of great playing.  They're a great get...

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Oooooh, wow.  I'll have to check them out.

drumline0671


Oooooh, wow.  I'll have to check them out.

http://www.cuneiformrecords.com

There's a link to a sample on the main page.  Or:

http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/forgas.html

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Posted today on my blog: a reviewof the new 2 CD/1 DVD Therion release, The Miskolc Experience.

Short form review:

"Therion may be developing a bit of a reputation of market saturation (2 studio albums followed by a 4 DVD/2 CD set, followed by a 2 CD studio release and another 2 CD/1 DVD live set), but The Miskolc Experience is something entirely different, documenting one incredibly special evening in Hungary that will likely never be repeated. If you like your rock to mix in a healthy dose of the classical…or wish your classical let you bang your head a little more, then this release is definitely for you."

Read the epic-length review HERE.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Saw Van Der Graaf Generator and The Strawbs yesterday. Both put on strong performances. The venue at Abbey's Pub was very intimate. I got there 15 minutes to starting time so the chairs were all taken up. Fine with me. These were two bands I would willingly stand for.

The Strawbs had a GREAT set including some key tracks from their two seminal albums Grave New World and Heroine

Here's the set (in no particular order):
How She Changed
The Hangman and the Papist
New World
Queen of Dreams
Midnight Sun
Ghosts
The Call to Action
Autumn (this closed their set and was probably the highlight of it as well)

I haven't listened to alot of Strawbs but I was really impressed with what I heard last night. I'll definately look into buying Grave New World.
 

The set by Van Der Graaf Generator was very strong.They opened with Interference Patterns and Scorched Earth. Scorched got a HUGE reaction from the crowd. In the middle of the set, Peter remarked, "instead of Killer we will be playing Thriller. Guy Evans will do a moonwalk across the stage." That got a good laugh from the crowd. Also included in their set was Lifetime and Over the Hill from their latest album Trisector.

The biggest reactions of course came from their classic output: Meurglys (Songwriters Guild), Lemmings, and Man-Erg. When they came out for an encore I heard someone shout out Lighthouse Keepers while I shouted out Childlike Faith. The song they played was neither, but is still one of their best: LA ROSSA. Peter Hammill, Guy Evans, and Hugh Banton were all on fire that night. It was a GREAT performance that I'll certainly never forget.
 
Speaking of VDGG, I just scrolled up this page and I see they have a new Live CD/DVD. Ordered. 

Flixster

My Blog

Excellent review Bill!

Getting pretty excited to see VDGG next Sunday! I shall bring my Least We Can Do original vinyl pressing to be signed! Really looking forward to this one!!

Re: New Hammill album: Got it, listened, great as always! Favorite track is "Your Face On The Street", with honorable nods to "Undone" and "Top Of The World Club".

I am glad that VdGG has gotten as positive a response on this tour as they had.  To be waiting over 30 years for them to come back, and then to return as a 3 piece sans sax, I admit to some worry over how they would be received.  To have gotten such positive rapturous response wills me with joy.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

In anticipation of next week's show, I decided against VDGG overkill and opted instead to construct a serious, lengthy and hardcore Hammill solo playlist. Actually, two playlists, representing the first and second 'halves' of his solo output. Obviously with so many styles (and so many years, and so many albums) you can't really say "Old Hammill" and "Newer Hammill", but I didn't want to get bogged down in making seven or eight different PH themed playlists. Nor did I want to get bogged down explaining this to you guys. But I did, and I dragged you down with me.

Let me add that I had forgotten just how good the 2001 album What, Now? really is. I mean, I love most of his massive output, but with so many albums to listen to, some of them get lost in the cracks over the years. Anyway, after a relisten, that album got some solid representation in my playlist (#2) with the tracks "Here Come The Talkies", "The American Girl", "Lunatic In Knots" and "Fed To The Wolves".

I wonder how many people have purchased his entire catalog? I'm damn close to having everything, although I didn't buy the second edition of Usher, I still only have Singularity as an iTunes download, and the only live album I actually own is Typical, as well as a couple of old bootleg silvers. But I do have all his studio albums (even The Love Songs and Loops And Reels!), which made quite a stack on my desk as I went through them all in deciding what to include!

Thanks for letting me ramble - just been having a huge Hammill night!

NP: "Jargon King"

I love Hammill to death, but his albums are all tied for 2nd place after the "HOLY TRINITY", that includes, Over, In Camera,and Silent Corner. Not to change the subject but I have been on a Camel kick here of late. Rajaz was playing during a thunderstorm the other night and it reduced me to tears. Latimer is the king. I have also been enjoying a band I haven't seen discussed during these 23 pages, and that is "Pavlov's Dog". Do yourself a favor and pick up Pampered Menial". The 1st 5 10cc albums have been blowing me away as well.

I love Hammill to death, but his albums are all tied for 2nd place after the "HOLY TRINITY", that includes, Over, In Camera,and Silent Corner.

Fully agreed. Those are also my holy trinity of PH albums! However I also enjoy a giant amount of his other stuff.

Re: Camel/Rajaz - Love them, of course, and love that album. Their best since Moonmadness IMO. Favorite track is "Straight To My Heart".

Re: Pavlov's Dog - haven't heard that album in many years! I remember liking it though.

Frankly, I feel Dust and Dreams, Rajaz, Harbour of Tears and A Nod and a Wink are criminally underrated, overlooked Camel albums.  I listen tot hose four every bit as much as I listen to Camel, Moonmadness, Snow Goose and Mirage.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Far be it from me to feel comfortable pimping my blog out, but...some of you may be interested to know that I'll be posting a review of the recent Renaissance DVD, Song of Scheherazade, to my blog tomorrow...such as it pains me to do so.

As penance for my self-aggrandisement, I shall include a morsel of content here unrelated to that:

I just acquired legal downloaded copies of The Great Leap and Doomsday Afternoon by General Hospital director cum prog musician Phideaux Xavier (didn't know that about him, did ya?  yes, that is yet another reason I am here...to divulge those nasty, dirty little secrets that make the lives of our beloved musicians so interesting...).  My sweet merciful Yahweh, why didn't I pick these up earlier?  Doomsday Afternoon is veritably a minor classic of modern chamber/symph prog, with enough Beach Boys-esque harmonies and sweetness to kill off several diabetics.  It's bloody glorious, it is...and it almost makes me feel that there may yet be hope for symphonic prog to actually, you know...progress.

I must buy Seven now.  I must.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

I'm floored.

As I type this, it has been but one hour since VDGG's 110-minute set came to an end in Hamilton, Ontario, at a 300-seater studio theater. I may have mentioned before this was the same theater I saw Steve Hackett play. I wish every show could be at this venue! Dinner theater-style seating with tables and comfortable chairs (and candles!), very low security, and great sound. It's like being in a slightly larger high school drama rehearsal room. Just amazing!

The boys were loose and in good spirits onstage, likely due to the two or three days off they now get to enjoy before playing Ottawa. The new material comes across very, very well live. Particularly "All That Before", which was a real highlight of the set. And what classics we got!!

As my wife and I headed to a restaurant for some dinner beforehand, we passed by the Sheraton hotel, and who is coming right at me?

Peter Hammill.

My idol for so many years, the writer of so many songs that have tunneled deep into my psyche and left permanent imprints on my memory, was walking towards me. I stopped dead in my tracks and said "Psst! Peter!" He came over and I mentioned how much I was looking forward to finally seeing him live that night. He stuck out his hand for a handshake (now that's a first - the musician offers the handshake first?) and we chat very briefly before I let him get back to whatever he was doing (just finished soundcheck, I'd wager). We went for dinner, and I couldn't focus on the menu! I didn't care what I ate or whether it was any good. I had just met Peter Hammill and now nothing could spoil this day. As we sat on the patio and enjoyed the nice sunny day, Peter, Guy, and Hugh could be seen walking to and from the hotel to the venue. Peter, in fact, three times! I said to my wife "Here I am, in lousy old Hamilton, Ontario, eating my dinner, and PETER HAMMILL  keeps walking by me." Like, RIGHT by me. It was a surreal evening.

Managed to quickly meet Guy Evans as well, for about ten or twelve seconds. Unfortunately, they didn't do a meet-and-greet autograph session so my cd booklets of "Still Life" and "Over" returned home with me unsigned. But like I said, nothing could spoil that day. Just amazing!


Setlist:

Interference Patterns
(In The) Black Room
Lemmings
Lifetime
All That Before
The Sleepwalkers
Over The Hill
Man-Erg

----------

Nutter Alert

As much as I love Magma (and believe me, I LOVE Magma), sometimes taking a short bit of time away from the albums allows me to come back to them with a fresh perspective.  This morning when I woke up I had an urge to listen to some Magma, and on my way out to work picked up the Studio Zund boxed set I bought at NEARfest.  As the opening track of Udu Wudu kicked in (the title track, natch), I was reminded why this may well be my favourite Magma album ever.  Yes, the songs are shorter by far than the material on the first 3 or 4 albums, but songs like “Weidorje” hit me as hard now as ever.  I love the bass work, the warbling synth, the vocal melodies that are actually mondo catchy and memorable…such a great piece, that song.

And it’s not like that’s all the album has to offer.  The extended Jannick Top rave up “De Futura” is so impossibly tight that a lump of coal stuck in the middle of it would become a diamond by the time the song was over.  “Troller Tanz” is fun, with that weird sci-fi opening, and the restrained groove with electric piano over top it…the memorable “Zombies,” and of course the extract from “Ementeht-Re” that we may finally see completed and released sometime in the coming years.  Udu Wudu may be the Magma album I spin most often, and it still blows me away as much today as it did the first time I heard it.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Bump

Seems like a new Univers Zero album is just around the corner:

http://www.univers-zero.com/albums/clivages.htm

Thanks for bumping this thread Devnoy. Speaking of Univers Zero, I just finished spinning Heresie this morning. It certainly isnt something I can listen to all the time, but when I am, nothing else will satisfy. It may be the darkest most sinister album I have ever listened to. I have also been spinning Western Culture from Henry Cow. On a lighter note, Magic Pie's-Motion of Desire has really been scratching where I itch.

New Univers Zero, wow! I echo the feeling that Heresie is the darkest and most sinister. But as a result, I generally only spin it to marvel at its darkness, rather than to just listen and enjoy it as a whole. It's likely the polar opposite of Transatlantic's The Whirlwind. Speaking of that album, it has really put me in a Flower Kings mood these past weeks, and I've especially been enjoying the period from FlowerPower through The Rainmaker. I think some of their best material is on those albums, particularly most of Space Revolver.

In other news, I just placed my "Birthday Spree" order with Greg @ Synphonic! My wife and I decided I could have a $200 prog shopping spree for my birthday this year... it's not till December but I ordered now to beat the holiday postal rush. A nice big stack o' prog cds to listen to, I'm drooling in anticipation!

Now, if only I could track down a copy of Sinkadus' Cirkus, which is long OOP and goes for well over a hundred bucks from amazon marketplace. I haven't even seen it on Ebay. That album is currently one of my 'grails'.

Salmacis

 
A nice big stack o' prog cds to listen to, I'm drooling in anticipation!

Tell us what you got 

I can see that there's a copy of Circus on gemm.com, but the seller hasn't updated in a long time and isn't rated very high, so it's most likely a no go, but you could always try.

Have any of you guys heard the debut album from the american neo-prog band Astra? Heard it for the first time today - good stuff.

Yes! The Weirding is an excellent album that I have tried pimping to a couple of the prog guys here on the forum, but they don't seem to be biting. (Ahem)

I was not even a third of the way through my first listen to this (downloaded it to check it out) when I went to amazon and 1-click-bought it. Great, great album, but wouldn't call them neo-prog. They are a little more on the psych end of things, with symphonic elements. The last song's intro reminds me a lot of Steve Hackett's "Shadow Of The Heirophant"!

But yeah, love this album, including the Roger Dean-esque cover.

I completely agree about the Flower Kings. Their last 3-4 albums have blown goats, but Space Revolver/Stardust/Retropolis/Flower Power are phenomenal. Those albums have such a positive vibe to them. I think that is why I am digging bands like Wobbler and Magic Pie right now. Anyway, Greg Walker has cost me much money over the past few years. Just his name alone causes my wife to have a nervous breakdown. I would love a list of the prog goodies you just purchased. Do not keep us prog lovers in suspense.

Honeypups, you and I are a lot alike! I *love* both Wobbler and Magic Pie, and have been spinning their discs the last couple of days! Also of note is the Tangent's dvd Going Off On One that I finally grabbed, for $3 on Ebay! I enjoyed that a lot as well.

As for my birthday splurge, here is what I ordered. Of course, none of these albums are new to me, but I still needed the actual cds in my collection. Some of them I've listened to for years without owning them properly. The IQ disc, for example, is the last one of theirs I needed. But I've needed it for years! lol... same with the Beardfish... that's why I chose those. It was a great opportunity to complete my collections. When you spend as much as I do on music, you need to draw lines sometimes (or should I say, my wife draws lines). Anyway, I can't wait for this box of gems to arrive! I may have to call in sick :p

Faithful Breath - Fading Beauty (Garden of Delights pressing)
Pollen - Pollen
PFM - Storia Di Un Minuto
Banco - Darwin!
IQ - Subterranea (2 cd)
Mindgames - Actors In A Play
Par Lindh Project - Mundus Incompertus
Morte Macabre - Symphonic Holocaust
Sinkadus - Aurum Nostrum
Ayreon - For Ayreonauts Only
Beardfish - The Sane Day (2 cd)
Epidaurus - Earthly Paradise

Nice haul!! I have some of those. Of note is the the Faithful Breath album. Autumn Fantasia is incredible. words cannot describe how gorgeous it is. I have the Lasers Edge pressing which came out in 1991. I always spin Morte Macabre for the trick or treaters. Great stuff indeed. Good luck opening the packages.

Yes, I love Fading Beauty... those gorgeous mellotron chords... I look forward to this new edition too,  with 32-page booklet. I also love "Tharsis" although it's a tad wacky in comparison to the beauty of "Autumn Fantasia". Hard to believe these guys turned 80's metal!

Oh, I'll have my trusty X-acto knife ready to begin the surgery required anytime I get a package from Synphonic! Damn near impossible to open.

Great haul Sal. I own a few of those.

So what is everyone's take on the new Beardfish? As with all their albums I at least like it, but I don't think it's as great as SITptII. The title-track is great beside the growling really doesn't work for me with Beardfish.

I did not care for Destined Solitaire. Not only was the growling out of character for the band, but the gratuitous use of obscenities. The music sounded unfocused and forced at times. However, Sleeping in Traffic Pt.2 is a masterpiece. Just my two cents.

Destined Solitaire is likely my least favorite as well, although it has its moments. I have no problem with growls - when they are done in the right band. I also love Traffic 2, particularly the awesome title track/epic. And their first album is fantastic! Looking forward to The Sane Day.

I hear that there's growl and the debut as well (the one on swedish)... how does it work on that one?

4 months since I popped in here.  How's everyone doing?

Here's what I have been listening to, some of which you may be able to read about soon in the usual place:

Redemption - Snowfall on Judgment Day
The Tangent - Down and out in PARIS and LONDON
The Pineapple Thief - 3000 Days
Knight Area - Realm of Shadows
The Red Masque - Stars Fall on Me
Shadow Gallery - Digital Ghosts
Makajodama - s/t debut

Yes, I'm trying to find a balance and get some writing done.  I've found the most incredible correlation between stress/depression and writing...the less stressed and depressed I am, the more I can write.  In this case causation does in fact imply correlation.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Oh, and as for the Beardfish...

I do like Destined Solitaire a lot.  It's hard to surpass the entity that was Sleeping in traffic I and II, and I am glad they went in a different direction.  The highs aren't as high, but I think it's consistent, sounds like them, and explores some sounds they hadn't tried before.  My girlfriend digs it (and them...she was starstruck almost around them at NF this past summer) too, so that helps.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

I've been on a Echolyn kick the past couple of days. I have always said they were the best American prog band of the past 20 years. Anyway, as I was listening to their discography, I realized Cowboy Poems Free never really clicked with me. Is it just me or do some of you who know their entire catalog feel the same way?

I don't like CPF as much as other echolyn albums, but I still find it to be incredibly strong, consistent and enjoyable.  It is the first song based album from the band, and as such there are fewer instrumental pyrotechnics (Ray is a more root bassist where Tom is more of a fluid soloist, and so the songs are less flash).  Some of the songs are among my favourites, and for a return to the studio and active duty is excellent...

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

And to make it back to back doubleposts (albeit with 12 hours interspersing), run, do not walk, to the Laser's Edge webpage and order Makajodama.  If you like Anekdoten, Anglagard, King Crimson, Van der Graaf, or Zappa, I think you'll find this album to be right up your alley.  A little edgy, a little avant, a little dark...really good stuff throughout.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Project2501


And to make it back to back doubleposts (albeit with 12 hours interspersing), run, do not walk, to the Laser's Edge webpage and order Makajodama.  If you like Anekdoten, Anglagard, King Crimson, Van der Graaf, or Zappa, I think you'll find this album to be right up your alley.  A little edgy, a little avant, a little dark...really good stuff throughout.

With a description like that, how can I resist? Will do.

As for Echolyn, for me nothing beats As The World.

Ordered, Bill. Looking forward to getting this disc!

Damn, I love reading in this thread.
 
My Genesis box 70-75 arrived today.  It was supposed to be for Chanukah/Xmas but the wife told me to to open.  And you married members know, you have to listen to your wife.
 
Anyway back on topic.  I definitely order the Makajodama.  Iwas going to be ordering either po90 and or the Pain of Salvation disc anyway.  Might as well make it a hat-trick.

A bad DT album (as if such a thing will ever exist) is 100x better than anyone elses good album.

I only hope this album (the Makajodama) isn't a one-off...it's too good for this band to be a one and done, ya know?

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

it's too good for this band to be a one and done, ya know?

Well, I don't know yet.   I should have it in a week or two.

musicfan: The 1970-1975 Genesis box is the best of the lot. Not only did those albums stand to improve the most sonically, but each disc has much longer interviews with the band than the other boxes, and they are highly entertaining interviews, IMO. Turn the lights off, light a couple of candles and crank "The Cinema Show" in 5.1 for a truly delightful experience!

One of these days (I'm gonna cut you into little pieces....wait, wrong band) I'll get the boxes...but there's too much new stuff, and stuff I've never had, to get first...

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Salmacis

it's too good for this band to be a one and done, ya know?

Well, I don't know yet.   I should have it in a week or two.

musicfan: The 1970-1975 Genesis box is the best of the lot. Not only did those albums stand to improve the most sonically, but each disc has much longer interviews with the band than the other boxes, and they are highly entertaining interviews, IMO. Turn the lights off, light a couple of candles and crank "The Cinema Show" in 5.1 for a truly delightful experience!

Hey Sal,
 
Just opened the box and wow, very nice packaging.  Can't wait to listen to these bad boys.  I'll take your tip for The Cinema Show.
 
And hey Project, how much stock do you have in The Laser's Edge??    Just kidding, they are one of my favorite CD sites to use. 
 
Off to watch Shrek and or play Wii with the family.

A bad DT album (as if such a thing will ever exist) is 100x better than anyone elses good album.

musicfan

Salmacis

it's too good for this band to be a one and done, ya know?

Well, I don't know yet.   I should have it in a week or two.

musicfan: The 1970-1975 Genesis box is the best of the lot. Not only did those albums stand to improve the most sonically, but each disc has much longer interviews with the band than the other boxes, and they are highly entertaining interviews, IMO. Turn the lights off, light a couple of candles and crank "The Cinema Show" in 5.1 for a truly delightful experience!

Hey Sal,
 
Just opened the box and wow, very nice packaging.  Can't wait to listen to these bad boys.  I'll take your tip for The Cinema Show.
 
And hey Project, how much stock do you have in The Laser's Edge??    Just kidding, they are one of my favorite CD sites to use. 
 
Off to watch Shrek and or play Wii with the family.

None ;-)

I just think that it's best to buy from the label that released the album...Ken is a good guy, knows his music, and is fair with his artists, just as Steve from Cuneiform and Jacob from Tremo are.  They are shining lights that keep new prog alive.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Project2501

musicfan

Salmacis

it's too good for this band to be a one and done, ya know?

Well, I don't know yet.   I should have it in a week or two.

musicfan: The 1970-1975 Genesis box is the best of the lot. Not only did those albums stand to improve the most sonically, but each disc has much longer interviews with the band than the other boxes, and they are highly entertaining interviews, IMO. Turn the lights off, light a couple of candles and crank "The Cinema Show" in 5.1 for a truly delightful experience!

Hey Sal,

Just opened the box and wow, very nice packaging.  Can't wait to listen to these bad boys.  I'll take your tip for The Cinema Show.

And hey Project, how much stock do you have in The Laser's Edge??    Just kidding, they are one of my favorite CD sites to use. 

Off to watch Shrek and or play Wii with the family.

None ;-)

I just think that it's best to buy from the label that released the album...Ken is a good guy, knows his music, and is fair with his artists, just as Steve from Cuneiform and Jacob from Tremo are.  They are shining lights that keep new prog alive.

I'll have to check out Cuneiform and Tremo.  Never heard of those.  Thanks.
 

A bad DT album (as if such a thing will ever exist) is 100x better than anyone elses good album.

Cuneiform is dedicated to mostly avant stuff...as well as some other off the wall things.  Tremo is Jacob Holm-Lupo of White Willow.

I should also mention ReR-USA/AdHoC, which is Dave Kerman of Present's lebel...

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Any of you check out the new Magma album yet?

drumline0671


Any of you check out the new Magma album yet?

Copy in hand...

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

The new Magma album is possibly album of the year for me. I have spun it four times at this point and each time has revealed something new. Vander is a genius! I do not think it is as good as KA, but we shall see. Speaking of Magma, I have been addicted to Attahk and Merci the past couple of days(I know, blasphemy). Anyway, I have had an emotional couple of weeks(2 family tragedies), and the last 2 tracks from Merci have been like manna from heaven(Eliphas Levi/the Night we Died). As I was coming to grips with trials of life, The Night We Died hit me like a ton of bricks and I began weep. Music can be such a healing force.

Music is more than sound.

It is shape, it is colour, it is taste, it is scent.  At it's best, it is something that takes you away form the pain of what life can be, and exposes you to something deeper and truer than any of us can imagine.  I tend to experience my music wholly...it is why I have these periods where music seems flat and grey, because I can;t get past the other stimuli to see what it is.

I am looking forward to exploring the new Magma.  I just need to get to it.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Very true my friend:)

I have Ementehtett-Re on my iPod today and will spend my work hours focusing on it.  Impressions later.  I figure 7 hours of listening should give me decent insight.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Project2501


Oh, and as for the Beardfish...

I do like Destined Solitaire a lot.  It's hard to surpass the entity that was Sleeping in traffic I and II, and I am glad they went in a different direction.  The highs aren't as high, but I think it's consistent, sounds like them, and explores some sounds they hadn't tried before.  My girlfriend digs it (and them...she was starstruck almost around them at NF this past summer) too, so that helps.

This might be my first post ever in this thread. I feel I can no longer pretend that it isn't here.  I may have reached the point now where I can just say no to many things and be a little more selective about what I feel I need to have. I suppose a dwinding music budget will do that.
 
Anyway, I've been digging the recent Beardfish for a while and was gutted that had to be cut from Progressive Nation '09.
 
Still don't have Sleeping In Traffic Part Two yet but I'll fix that eventually. I liked Part 1, but I like Destined Solitude even more.
 
I visited the Genesis time capsule earlier today while cleaning and listened to Duke, Abacab and Three Sides Live (The American version). I really enjoy the yeara following Gabriel's departure too, but the 1980-82 period is just so tasty. I just never tire of hearing it like I might the Gabriel-Genesis years.

For the last couple of days, I have been on a Jon Anderson kick. It is common knowledge that Olias of Sunhillow is his best, but Song of Seven maybe his greatest composition. The purity of his voice is astounding. His beautiful alto voice soars with ease on top of that beautiful arrangement. I really get choked up when his children come in and add their voices. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Have any of you in this thread checked out Diagonal yet? Man, what an
exciting new band. They were up for best new band in the Classic Rock
awards yet I still have seen no mentions of them here except me.

Do yourself a favor and check them out.

Got the Makojadama disc today! My kinda tunage.... Great stuff, Bill, thanks for the recommendation! Came with a nice sampler disc from Tee Pee Records as well.

Excellent!  Glad you like it.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Honeypups


For the last couple of days, I have been on a Jon Anderson kick. It is common knowledge that Olias of Sunhillow is his best, but Song of Seven maybe his greatest composition. The purity of his voice is astounding. His beautiful alto voice soars with ease on top of that beautiful arrangement. I really get choked up when his children come in and add their voices. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Ashamed to admit that I've never heard Song of Seven! I'll put that on the list, thanks for bringing it up.
 

 

Panic Room has a new album out that I'm thinking of ordering. I discovered them from the Prog magazine and the sampler song is cool.

Miscellany:

New Mindgames disc MMX is excellent, and right up there with Actors In A Play. I highly recommend this band. Also of note is the new Steve Hackett disc Out Of The Tunnel's Mouth, which is fantastic from beginning to end, and is his best offering since 1993's Guitar Noir.

And for those other Tull-heads out there: Watch for the excellent documentary from last year with some very candid and revealing interviews. It's on Youtube as "Jethro Tull: Their Fully Authorized Story". A couple of hours of rarely-seen footage of the Jolly Jethros. While you're at it, check out Rick Wakeman's excellent online show "Face To Face", with a host of guests such as Ian Anderson, Tony Iommi, Jon Lord, Brian May, Rob Halford, the list goes on and on... well worth your time if you like interviews as much as I do.

Other than that, anyone who needs more new music recommendations, do yourself the favor and ask Bill (Project2501) or Jeff (Progmetalfusion). These guys know music, and know it well. :D

Got the new disc from The Watch in the mail, all the way from Italy - only 6 days after ordering! The new album is called Planet Earth? and is another solid offering of their style of prog.

Checked out the new Big Big Train album as well - hasn't done a lot for me yet, but has its moments. I'll come back to it in a couple of days with fresh ears and see how it fares. Still spinning the latest IQ album as well, which is just excellent, and the latest from Knight Area as well is some seriously great stuff.

In preparation for the new Citizen Cain album (!) I have been going through their back catalog as well and rediscovering some of their best material (Serpents In Camouflage, Somewhere But Yesterday)... still no sign of the new album on any websites, although the latest issue of PROG magazine claims it is coming!

2010 should prove to be another stellar year in the ever-expanding world of Prog.

After one of those long dark teatimes of the soul that I seem to find myself in from time to time (ask Noware how bad this one was), I have found, for the moment at least, a temporary opening in the forest and am seeing a smidge of light.

I have also spent most of the last two days fully immersing myself in the first 8 albums by that most English of bands, The Enid.

I have always been familiar with their first two albums, albeit in revised, non original renditions (EMI never returned them the masters for those releases, so both at least are partially re-recorded in their current iterations).  In The Region of the Summer STars and Aerie Faerie Nonsense are classics of symphonic rock...there are some blistering guitar solos amongst the lush orchestrations and baroque keyboard workouts.  But moving beyond them shows some incredibly strong works as well.  Touch Me includes the sorrowful Elegy and impressive Albion Fair (in 2 parts); Six Pieces includes an impressive reworking of Scarborough Faire amongst other highlights such as Punch and Judy Man and The Dreamer.  While Something Wicked This Way Comes features vocals for the first time, the songs are entirely Enid masterworks.  And I'd be remiss to fail to recommend the albums Salome and The Seed and The Sower, both among Robert John Godfrey's most inspired, mature works.

The Enid is a band that has been as dogged by bad label luck as they have been shot in the foot by their own machinations, but they have some amazing works that you'd be a fool to pass up investigating.  And you can download their material from their website on a pay as you see fit manner.  I recommend their albums unequivocably...check them out, and support a band well worth attention and support!

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

And this weekend's band is Jade Warrior.

I am specifically focusing on the 4 Islands albums, as they are the ones I have the most familiarity with, having heard good bits of them on DA web radio.  These 4 releases (Kites, Waves, Way of the Sun and Floating World) are impossibly fragile works, filled with loads of woodwinds, world instrumentation, and pastoral moods.  There's not the same degree of contrast as one would see on the earlier albums on Vertigo (the band name was chosen to represent the soft and heavy sides of the band, the rumour being that it was drawn from the Japanese samurai who were expected to be as skilled with a pen and a brush as they were with a sword), but there's still some amazing playing, including some incendiary guitar work here and there.

There's perhaps not enough rock here for a lot of people, but I think these 4 albums are absolutely sublime.  And they're being re-released this spring/summer by Esoteric...I'd recommend checking them out.

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

I want to add 2 Jade Warrior recommendations.

One is Horizen, an album from 1984.  Instrumental, featuring an epic track based on Dune filled with Egyptian sounds and feels, there's also some Caribbean influences and some stuff that almost sounds like Zappa-esque playing like on Filthy Habits.  Good album.  The other is Dustant Echoes from 1993, which is more ambient and almost new-age-y, but wonderful.  Love them.

The lack of response intrigues of course...have any of you checked these bands out at all?  Loads of JW and Enid in places one might normally look, and with the Enid the music can be gotten for free (or with a donation as you see fit) from the band's page.

And now a question...anyone familiar with Amazing Blondel?  Found out about them reading about krumhorns, and they sound like they might be up my alley as a fan of Gryphon...

Come one y'all, post!

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

4 posts in a row...

Just saw this from Anekdoten...a new band with members of Anekdoten, Makajodama and Magnolia:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/My-Brother-The-Wind/364503727290?ref=nf

Bill K
@>}-`-`----------------------
'in death's garden all the roses are blue...'

Well, while in Montreal waiting for tomorrow's TA show, I decided to head down to Freeson Rock, a lovely little prog and metal specialty shop (the kind you just don't see anymore) for a little browsing. I was instantly taken with the place.

Finally got my hands on my 'holy grail' cd, Sinkadus' "Cirkus", which is long out of print and goes for $200-$250 on Ebay last I checked. Just checked amazon marketplace and there is one used copy in VG condition for $179. I've been searching for this for years. And there it was, just sitting on the shelf as soon as I walked in the door! (Heavenly choirs, angels, rejoicing...)

Also grabbed a Roine-signed FK "Edition Limitee Quebec" live disc while I was at it, and another PFM disc. This trip has been worth it already for this prognut, and the show isn't until tomorrow! :D

I highly recommend this excellent store.

PROG ON.

Just read today that Bo Hansson passed away. I've always had a soft spot for his Tolkien-themed music. One of my earliest forays into the lesser-known prog stuff, when I was a teenager. Sad news.

Didn't know him, but sad nonetheless. RIP

I got Advent's 2006 sophomore album Cantus Firmus in the mail last week. Great stuff! Particularly recommended for Gentle Giant fans, as there's a huge influence there. Plenty of other influences as well. The two epics in particular ("Ramblin' Sailor" and "Alison Waits (A Ghost Story)" are outstanding. Classy, well-played prog that fits a certain mood.

Recommended!