Progressive Rock Review: Mostly Autumn-White Rainbow

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Label:  Mostly Autumn Records

Website

The artwork on Mostly Autumn's latest offering, White Rainbow, depicts a mirrored sunrise over a snowy mountain encompassed by a white rainbow.  The image is apt, as the album reflects genuinely on the loss of their former and longtime guitarist Liam Davison, while at the same time, pointing the way to new beginnings.  

After 12 studio albums, most bands find a groove that works and ride in comfort within it.  Mostly Autumn's 13th album finds the band breaking out of any supposed rut and venturing forth to produce a modern-day progressive folk-rock masterwork.

Each track on White Rainbowis a story unto itself.  Filled with atmosphere, conflict, and triumph, crescendos rise at the point of epiphany and fall upon the listener with beauty and grace.  At seventy-nine minutes, Mostly Autumn feels in a sense like a movie soundtrack supporting a majestic drama.  Celtic folk undertones place the listener in the mind of proud warriors riding through the countryside on a quest to rescue their captured Queen. Valhalla, be damned. 

The slow atmospheric intros are joined by soaring vocal harmony and accentuated by torrents of accomplished guitar work.  At the point when the listener feels the song has reached its peak, Mostly Autumn rises to another level. Therein lies the beauty of blending folk sensibilities with progressive stylings. The songs don't have to end where one thinks they might.  White Rainbow leads the listener into a false sense of calm and security and then hit you with a guitar-driven onslaught leaving you weakened, yet exhilarated. 

The energy behind this orchestration is Olivia Sparnenn's voice, which packs the one-two punch of power and vulnerability. Think of the dramatic soprano of Ann Wilson intermingled with the tenderness of (dare I say) Olivia Newton-John. Ms. Sparnenn's vocals layered upon such vibrant musicianship put this listener in the mind of Sandy Denny on Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore. 

All in all, Mostly Autumn’s White Rainbow is a polished work whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Listen to it straight through, and you'll realize the depth and breadth of its brilliance.  This is a progressive rock treasure you'll be thrilled you discovered and a musical dream from which you won't want to wake. 

Key Tracks Include: “Burn”, “Run for the Sun”, “Western Skies”, “Into the Stars”, “The Undertow”

Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff

November 14, 2019

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Tracks:
01.  Procession
02.  Viking Funeral
03.  Burn
04.  Run for the Sun
05.  Western Skies
06.  Into the Stars
07.  Up
08.  The Undertow
09.  Gone
10.  White Rainbow
11.  Young

Progressive Rock Review: RPWL-Live from Outer Space

Release Date:  November 15, 2019

Label:  Gentle Art of Music

Website

German sci-fi prog rockers, RPWL is back with a collection of 14 live tracks that will lift you, launch you into hyperspace, and land you safely in your living room, inspired by the journey. The best live albums serve to showcase a band’s greatest hits stripped of any studio production varnish. This brings the music closer to reality and closer to the feeling that summoned the listener in the first place. Live from Outer Space is no exception. 

Since their modest beginnings as a Pink Floyd cover band in the late ’80s, RPWL’s sound has evolved into a sophisticated, accessible progressive sound. I wouldn’t say the influence is Pink Floyd as a whole, but more specifically, David Gilmour. Yogi Lang’s subtle yet menacing voice is similar to Gilmour’s as it seems to emerge with an enlightened authority, like a God summoning his followers from on high. Lang guides his passengers through the wonders of the universe, prophesizing on what might live beyond our understanding. Think of Pink Floyd’s post-Roger Waters years with a deep-space sci-fi undercurrent. 

Live from Outer Space marks their seventh live album compared to ten studio albums. RPWL is proud of their live work, offering reinvented versions only the unrestrained freedom of a live performance can bring forth. 

Live performances also bring forth the opportunity to craft setlists that flow together cohesively. RPWL weave in the narration, which intertwines the songs into a storyline of sorts. Admittedly, during “News from Outer Space,” I had to fight off the image from Spinal Tap of Nigel Tufnel waxing poetically about the little children of Stonehenge as a two-foot-high prop is lowered onto the stage. This is hardly RPWL’s fault as Spinal Tap ruined any attempt for legitimate bands of the future to attempt any dramatic narration on stage. 

Where others zig and zag, RPWL swerves and glides through the infinite vastness of space and time. A smoother ride than some of prog rock’s jagged journeys, RPWL delivers to their fans new takes on old favorites and provides new listeners an accessible entry point into prog rock. So, set your controls for the heart of the sun, RPWL will take you on a satisfying ride you’ll want to take again and again.  

Key Tracks Include: “Not Our Place to Be”, “Roses”, “Hole in the Sky”, “Sleep”

Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff

October 25, 2019

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Tracks:
CD1
1.  A New World
2.  Welcome to the Freak Show
3.  Light of the World
4.  Not Our Place to Be
5.  What I Really Need
6.  Give Birth to the Sun
7.  Far Away from Home

CD2
1.  Hole in the Sky
2.  Sleep
3.  Masters of War
4.  Trying to Kiss the Sun
5.  Roses
6.  Unchain the Earth
 

Progressive Rock Review: The Inner Road-The Majestic Garden

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Label: Independent

Website

The Inner Road is the creation of Steve Gresswell and Phil Braithwaite, two former members of the band Coalition who joined forces to fulfill their own musical needs. On March 1, 2019, they released their fourth album The Majestic Garden. The album, along with other works of theirs, falls into the genre of progressive rock: originally a movement in the ’70's to bring new elements of sophistication to rock music. The genre gains inspiration from psychedelic music from the ’60s, often containing uncommon song structures, interludes, and heightened dynamics. The Majestic Garden is a wonderful example of prog that portrays its unique characteristics while also contributing to the genre with the addition of a fantastical layer to their music. 

A key characteristic of The Majestic Garden that sets it apart from other prog music is the usage of musical elements to suggest a fantastical setting in each song. While other prog bands like Pink Floyd and Genesis sway their audience with compelling melodies and lyrics, The Inner Road sways theirs with the atmosphere they create. The Majestic Garden transports you to a magical forest populated with giants, trolls, and faeries, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a high fantasy story. This is likely due to the repetition of minor scales ascending to the fifth interval and then descending, mostly seen during “Call of the Spirit” and “Water Well.” Minor scales are infamous for providing a spooky and ominous atmosphere. When they’re used as the melody of multiple songs, it causes the album to feel nothing short of supernatural. The repetition of the scale going up and down also generates a mood of suspense; the listeners hear this melody and expect it to change like usual, but it remains constant for a long portion of the song. The anticipation of a melody change sparks suspense into their listeners, a characteristic also extremely prominent in high fantasy. 

           

To add, a large contributing factor to the atmosphere of this album is the irregular rhythm in each song. For example, the rhythm section of the title track “The Majestic Garden” begins by playing four monotonous quarter notes, assisting in the creation of an upbeat melody and an inspirational ambiance. However, in the second track “Call of the Spirit,” the melody is much darker and ominous. This is reinforced by the rhythm section, whose dynamics are heightened at the beginning of the song when they play two strong quarter notes at the end of each measure. The rhythm of each song differs, either becoming more complex like in “Lost Land” or becoming more simplistic such as in “Mother Earth.” The continuous transformation from the rhythm section assists in the feeling of multiple events with different levels of significance occurring one after the other as if the album were telling a story. 

If you want to be immersed in a world similar to that of Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons, The Majestic Garden by The Inner Road is the album for you. With the assistance of musical elements such as the use of minor scales and the irregularity of the rhythm in each song, The Majestic Garden contributes to prog by adding a layer of fantasy that had been rarely seen before in the genre. 

Key tracks Include: "Call of The Spirit" "The Majestic Garden" "Mother Earth" “Fire of Life”

Ana McLaughlin-Contributor

October 3, 2019

Tracks:
1. The Majestic Garden
2. Call of the Spirit
3. Wind from the Reeds
4. Fire of Life
5. Lost Land
6. Changing Sea
7. Water Well
8. Mother Earth
9. Circle of Shadows

Progressive Rock-Jazz -Fusion Review: Yuval Ron-Somewhere in the Universe Somebody Hits a Drum

Release Date:  October 3, 2019

Label:  Wrong Notes Music

Website:  www.yuvalron.com

6-years in the making, progressive and jazz fusion guitarist, Yuval Ron has released six other-worldly arrangements sure to please staunch prog-rock enthusiasts and jazz aficionados alike. 

One look at the album art and a minute into the opening title track, you'll realize you're about to explore a new musical world and boldly go where no listener has gone before. You'll hear yodeling, synth landscapes, xylophone interludes, and virtuosic guitar riffs riding on the rhythm of thick, syncopating drumbeats. Along the journey, you'll experience moments of weightlessness followed by playful interludes followed by turbo thrusts where the universe flies past you in a blur. 

Like many of his influences, Yuval Ron has collaborated with several musicians in several bands, including the influential Residents of The Future. His talents cannot be constrained to the fixed structure of a single band. Yuval Ron assembles musicians for a project based on the vision in his head.

For Somewhere in the Universe Somebody Hits a Drum, he recruited renowned prog-rock drummer Marco Minnemann who has worked with Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, and others. Mr. Minnemann's influence is hard to ignore, providing the grounding for complex synth and guitar solos as well as flashes of brilliance such as "Wifi in Emerald City" when his drumming emerges into the forefront but does not overtake the composition. 

Not one of these six tracks sounds indulgent or derivative. Yuval Ron democratizes the talent he's assembled. He shares the spotlight, letting the solos fly and then return to form a colorful assembly of textured sound. You'll feel as if you're on a journey of discovery. You won't know where you are, you won't know where you're going, but you'll be thrilled to be on the ride.  

Key Tracks Include: “Gravitational Lensing”, “Wifi in Emerald City”, “I Believe in Astronauts”

Tom Endyke – MuzikMan.net Staff

October 3, 2019

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Tracks:
1. Somewhere in This Universe Somebody Hits a Drum
2. Gravitational Lensing
3. Kuiper Belt
4. WiFi in Emerald City
5. The Discovery of Phoebe
6. I Believe in Astronauts

VINYL LP REVIEW: Phil Lanzon-48 Seconds

Release Date: August 9, 2019

Label: Phil Lanzon Ditties

Website

Original Source Link

 

Phil Lanzon has quite the musical resume. He has been the rock steady keyboard player for Uriah Heep since 1986. Before that, he was in many other groups and has been playing the ivory keys since his childhood. Phil is also a very talented artist with his work displayed on his website.

48 Seconds is his second proper solo album. The eye-catching artwork on the album sleeves is an indicator of what the album’s title is about. The 1906 catastrophic earthquake in San Francisco took 3,000 lives in 48 Seconds! Hard to believe but true. This is how fragile our lives are. In the end, Mother Nature always makes the final decision, as it so appropriately says at the close of this terrific album.

The two-LP set comes housed in a gatefold format with two blue/green swirl 180-gram LPs. It looks mighty pretty spinning around on a turntable and oh yes, this music is great! I have been quite aware of Phil’s work since he joined Uriah Heep and very appreciative of the talents he brought to that legendary band. To have the opportunity to hear such a finely crafted and the well-presented solo album is the cherry on top of the mountain of ice cream. Speaking for myself, of course, I did not know what to expect and was very pleased with all four sides of vinyl presented.

As you can see by the list of contributors Mr. Lanzon had some help in making this project a success. His vocals and playing are incredibly strong and the support players elevate his efforts to a very high level of competency from start to finish.

48 Seconds is like a rock opera if you will that touches upon the past and present day. As the two intersect it makes you wish that there was a time machine you could step into to go back to a simpler time when all the computers, the internet, and cell phones did not exist. This point is well taken in the track “Face To Face.” The words hit home with lines like “Bring it back, real communication.” Instead of a nation of zombies in front of a screen we can once again become a communicating society, in person, not in real-time on the laptop or streaming, just being present in the physical world with all those digital distractions non-existent, even if it’s only for an hour, 10 minutes, a few minutes! Our humanity could be realized again and we can stop living in a George Orwell novel. This is one song of many that I enjoyed.

“Rock n Roll Children” was my pick to add to The Final on Vinyl Spotify Playlist. The combination of rock, pop, and prog in these songs are irresistibly driven with strong rhythm and a no-nonsense rock approach. “Blue Mountain” and “You Can Make A Living” were a few others that hit my sweet spot for straight-ahead toe-tapping rock that I would want to hear more than once.

48 Seconds is the portrait of a veteran rock musician spreading his wings and using all the tools at his disposal to create a great recording that any fan of rock music would genuinely appreciate. Having great artwork never hurts and putting it out on colorful collectible vinyl is the last thing that closes the deal for this listener.

Phil Lanzon has released a superb story set to music that is yet one more feather in a cap that is starting to look like a full headdress. 48 Seconds is a testament to history, music, and one talented focused man that was ready to go in another direction and give it his all. It worked out very well Phil, and I look forward to hearing you more with Uriah Heep and your next solo adventure.

Recording lineup:

* Phil Lanzon - Keys and lead vocals

* John Mitchell - Lead vocals

* Andy Makin - Lead vocals

* Richard Cottle - Additional keys, Saxes

* Neal Wilkinson - Drums

* Adam Goldsmith - Guitar

* Mick O'Donohue - Guitar

* Miriam Grey - Lead vocals, background vocals

* Phoebe Street, Andy Caine, Andy Playfoot - Background vocals

* Tom Walsh - Trumpets

* Clare Mcinerney - Saxes

* Neil Sidwell - Trombones

* Chris Haigh - Violin solo

* Richard Harwood - Cello solo

* Levine Andrade - Viola solo

* London Telefilmonic Orchestra - Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-TFOV Founder

August 14, 2019

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Review Provided By The Final on Vinyl

TRACKS:

Side A:
01. Azura's Theme (Instrumental) 
02. In The Rain 
03. Forty Line  

Side B:
04. Rock N Roll Children  
05. Blue Mountain

Side C:
06. Look At The Time 
07. Road To London 
08. You Can Make A Living

Side D:
09. Face To Face 
10. 48 Seconds

Progressive Rock Review: Steve Hackett-At The Edge of Light

Steve Hackett Website: http://www.hackettsongs.com/
Release Date: January 25, 2019
Label: Inside Out/Sony

Steve Hackett just released At The Edge of Light on the Inside Out (Sony) label. I was sent the CD/DVD but decided to purchase the LP for additional listening pleasure. I am glad that I did. The album is a two-LP 180-Gram set with a CD included. This is something you get from most of the Inside Out vinyl so you get the best of both worlds and it's worth the price tag.

Hackett is a legendary figure in progressive rock and has a lot of music out there to dive into. With his Genesis days (while brilliant) long behind him, he is always moving forward and creating interesting music for longtime fans and new disciples to consume. I personally have not gone too far into his catalog, although I feel it is time for that to change.

I think Mr. Hackett is extremely underrated because his music has never been mainstream or commercial in any way. That is just fine with his audience in the prog sphere. 

At The Edge of Light is two platters, 3 sides of music, and the fourth side has the etching of the lighting on the cover with the man standing there looking at it with the inscription “Turn and Face Whatever You Fear Most.” Keep that in mind as you listen to the music and read the lyrics found on the inner sleeves of the album jacket (yes food for thought).

Side one opens in grand style with epic sweeping music and some fine vocals offered by Hackett. I have always looked at him as a guitar hero but the man is equally adept with the vox humana. This is a very eclectic group of songs ranging from prog rock, flat out rocking segments, blues, and world. It has it all and very well done I may add.

Side two starts off with “Underground Railroad.” Hackett’s tribute the trials and tribulations of slaves. It starts off bluesy then leads into a spiritual/gospel type sound and feeling then transforms into an all-out rocker. The changing tides of the music in a sense must have fit the all-encompassing emotions a slave had reaching freedom at last through those dangerous passages. “Shadow and Flame,” is one of the more colorful tracks with world music infused into rock featuring the Duduk, which creates a drone, and the very recognizable Sitar. 

Side three opens with “Hungry Years.” The track features some great harmonies and catchy runs that sound radio ready, however, that leads to some strong stinging leads from Hackett and some sturdy bass lines to keep that train rolling down the line. After all of that, it fades out then you move on to the next two tracks, which are significant instrumentals musically and thematically.

“Descent” has the resounding and rhythmic beats of marching soldiers off to war or making the “Descent” into that literal hell. Then all of that driving force folds into the “Conflict,” which is earmarked with a whirling dervish of sounds and more masterful lead guitar by the maestro Hackett. Then the fitting curtain closer “Peace,” after the “Conflict.”

So, you see there is a definite theme here that Hackett is presenting. I think what he is saying through music and words is what we are seeing worldwide. The wars, confusion, and atrocities of man that continue to this day are thought of while reading the lyrics and listening to the music push those words to the forefront of your mind. And perhaps for those tortured souls among us, who are raging their own wars with internal emotions that nobody knows but them. 

But yet we all stand At The Edge of Light, a few steps away from that dark chasm that surrounds us. The true nature of man is at the center of the light and that thought gives us all hope as we listen to the musical prophets of the world. Steve Hackett has created a beautiful album that is diverse musically and lyrically. I do not think fans could have hoped for a better album. This work speaks highly of a man with superlative talents and a message to deliver.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Prog Rock Music Talk
February 3, 2019

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Tracks:
 
Side 1:
1. Fallen Walls and Pedestals
2. Beasts In Our Time
3. Under The Eye of the Sun

Side 2:
4. Underground Railroad
5. These Golden Wings
6. Shadow and Flame

Side 3:
7. Hungry Years
8. Descent
9. Conflict
10. Peace

Side 4 :
Etching - “Turn and Face Whatever You Fear Most"  
 

Progressive Rock Review: 3.2-The Rules Have Changed

Release Date: August 10, 2018

Label: FRONTIERS MUSIC SRL

Website

If you remember the album The Power of 3(1988) then you will find familiarity with The Rules Have Changed. I remember the album but what really left an impression on me was Robert Berry. I interviewed Robert in March of 1999 in conjunction with the ELP Tribute Encores, Legends and Paradox. I still treasure all of those prog tribute CDs Magna Carta released. It was an exciting time with fond memories.

Robert and Keith Emerson were discussing reforming 3 and ideas were formulating. The unfortunate passing of Emerson put everything into a different perspective for Robert, as one would suspect. Indeed, The Rules Have Changed. After Emerson’s death in 2016, he was left with the keyboard legends final musical ideas for the project. Everything from old cassette tapes, keyboard parts written over the phone and long discussions between the two friends about style, the framework of the album were set and ready to be produced. 

I thought providing some of the back stories would be interesting. I also listened to an interview with Robert discussing everything and what I found was more than a multi-talented musician, but an honest and caring man that lost a dear friend. He was speechless when he visited Emerson’s grave. I can understand why.

So, Robert decided to move forward with the project in dedication to Emerson and in the true spirit of the music decided to create the 3.2 version of the band. The end result is a fantastic eight-track album. Robert said he could feel Keith while he was playing. I do not doubt that for a second. As I was listening, I was asking myself “Which part is Keith playing” not realizing the entire story and that Robert actually played all the parts!

The Rules Have Changed is an excellent recording from beginning to end in my humble opinion. It was not hard for me to appreciate it being a big ELP fan and admirer of Keith’s solo works and Robert’s as well. I saw this listening opportunity as a can’t miss experience. And it most certainly proved to be so.

“Powerful Man” is about Keith being a father from a distance with his son. And on the flip side, his son watching his father on stage and becoming inspired by the power of the music he was creating. I thought it was a great choice for a title and the words are inspirational and uplifting and the music is as well. I watched the video (included here) and got chills.

Two of the more interesting and entertaining tracks are “The Letter,” which starts with an acoustic guitar and Robert singing in uncharacteristic gruff tone (think whiskey-soaked blues like) and then the song continues to build and change into what you would come to expect in a Berry song.

“Your Mark on The World” is a track that I am sure Keith would have loved. It is a crazy prog rock track with a circus-like atmosphere. It made me think of one thing. Who can forget (if you were alive at the time) Keith spinning around in the air at ELP’s performance at the first California Jam? Man, that was unbelievable, but then again so was ELP and Mr. Emerson.

After hearing The Rules Have Changed, I felt inspired to write about it as soon as I could. I felt joy, elation, and some sadness while listening. But after all isn’t that what music is all about, people, the human condition. 

Thank you, Robert Berry, for a wonderful tribute to one of the greatest ivory ticklers the world has had the pleasure to enjoy. The beauty of the memories will carry on forever thanks to what he left behind.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

January 22, 2019

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Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Tracks:
1. One by One
2. Powerful Man
3. The Rules Have Changed
4. Our Bond
5. What You’re Dreaming Now
6. Somebody’s Watching
7. This Letter
8. Your Mark on The World