Music Banter - View Single Post - Anteater Presents: An Essential Guide To Modern Prog.

Anteater · 11-10-2009, 01:20 PM

5.

The Gourishankar – 2nd Hands (2007)

1. Moon7 (10:11)
2. Endless Drama (7:45)
3. Queer Forest (6:30)
4. Taste A Cake (1:47)
5. The Inexpressible Chagrin (6:54)
6. Syx (11:08)
7. ...End (8:40)
8. Marvelous Choice (18:16)

Walking just as much to the beat of Russian night club electro-pop as they do to Gentle Giant, Yes, Rush and Stravinsky, The Gourishankar are prime moderns on the progressive scene in a part of the world that, atleast up until 1990, was censored heavily on the music side of things by the Communist regime. Hence, whether or not the creativity exhibited here on 2nd Hands is due to their country's background or that these fine young players are simply exceptionally imaginative, the work they've put out here is a wonder to behold once you give them a chance to sink in.

..anyway, 2nd Hands is a record with a lot going for it. Some things are to be expected; the guitars have a technical crunch that lie in some in-between place between hard rock and metal, and the drumming and bass are lively. But this is not what makes The Gourishankar interesting.

No, what makes these lads interesting is the dance-floor pop sensibility that, like precious mineral veins in a cave which are separate yet intertwine with the surrounding ordinary stone into a natural whole, proves an inexplicably attractive framework for the prog. elements to run rampant amidst. Take the second track 'Endless Drama' for instance-

Club synths broken by guitar and a combination of drum and drum-machine, even some relatively catchy Rush-esque delivery...and you're not even two minutes in. Simply phenomenal!!

Still, its not all progressive rave music with extra glow stick. Opening instrumental "Moon7" is a delicious escapade into galactic jazziness whilst interlude 'Taste A Cake' is an unexpected slice of piano+cello with some soothing ambient touches to carry you onto the second half, which is also where the real standout tracks happen to be; the wintry electrics of 'The Inexpressible Chagrin', the soft-spoken but ultimately danceable '...End' and 18-minute rave epic "Marvelous Choice' end the album on a memorable note, leaving you with a solid sense of fulfillment...until you decide to play them all over again!

Ultimately though, my attempts to review and describe are pointless in the long run; the important thing is that something about these guys sticks with you once you get into them. They aren't well known, they're nearly impossible to understand lyrically despite the fact they're singing in English...but they still accomplish what most progressive rock groups seem to have a big problem with - being catchy - and still manage to bring a distinctive blend of ideas to the table. Because, in all seriousness, it's a shame these guys aren't full time musicians: they've got a wonderful approach to progressive rock that nobody else has got right now, and that's why they're being reviewed here.

For fans of electronic music, classical, metal-tinged intensity, or just interesting music in general...bon appétit!