Anteater Presents: An Essential Guide To Modern Prog.
 

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Essential Modern Prog. Compilation & Track List

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Eleven Progressive Guidepost Reviews

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Going Overtime: Further Reading For The Modern Proggie

10.

Advent – Cantus Firmus (2006)

1. GK Contramundum (2:00)
2. Awaiting the Call. (5:10)
3. Parenting Parents (6:45)
4. Utter Once Her Name (5:30)
5. Remembering When (4:00)
6. Ramblin' Sailor (18:14)
7. Your Healing Hand (8:18)
8. Firmus Finale (4:40)
9. Rear View Mirror (3:34)
10. Alison Waits (A Ghost Story) (10:40)

New Jersey is not generally the first place that comes to mind when you think of progressive rock. Hell, its not a place that comes to mind for a whole lot of other things either. Imagine my surprise then that one of the most interesting standout bands working within the genre today call the place their home, a lineup that combine some of the cooler medieval stylings of Gentle Giant with the Baroque-classically influenced Procol Harum together under the moniker known as Advent.

Yes, I just compared this group to two prominent progressive rock bands from the past, but remember that ALL bands are influenced by artists, ideas, and styles from the past, regardless of the genre. In progressive rock’s case however, this is usually a curse and a turn-off to those who are looking for something meaty in a genre market that’s oversaturated with new releases every year.

Advent, thankfully, avoid many of the pitfalls that make a lot of modern progressive rock and metal rather boorish for two main reasons:

1. The technicality a lot of prog. bands seem to revel in is eschewed in favor of instrumental eclecticism and ambience. Flute, piano and a light symphonic wash provide often take center stage, building a delicious sense of atmosphere that remains engaging, yet they never forget the liquid guitar picking and pulsating basslines that make up their sonic foundation.

2. Outstanding vocals. Although a fair amount of progressive rock bands from the late 70’s and onward have adopted, or atleast taken a stab at, Gentle Giant’s trademark point-counterpoint vocal delivery, most of these groups, such as Spock’s Beard and Salmon, treat it as a gimmick and throw it about randomly on only one or two songs. Advent, however, doesn’t pull any punches. When they sing, you can expect point-counterpoint for sure in almost every track that isn’t purely instrumental.

Cantus Firmus, when all is said and done, is the splendid result of people playing what they love concisely yet with a sense of adventure and a grand vision of sailing the big blue sea. And most importantly of all, it stands out despite its flaws, which is really all that matters in this kind of genre. They're hella good live too!

9.

Mansun – Six (1998)

1. Six (8:07)
2. Negative (4:21)
3. Shotgun (6:38)
4. Inverse Midas (1:44)
5. Anti Everything (2:25)
6. Fall Out (3:47)
7. Serotonin (2:33)
8. Cancer (9:31)
9. Witness To A Murder (Part Two) (3:06)
10. Television (8:21)
11. Special / Blown It (Delete As Appropriate) (5:32)
12. Legacy (6:33)
13. Being A Girl (7:59)

Once upon a time in the U.K., when the Blur – Oasis war was in its death throes and the release of Radiohead’s OK Computer was the biggest thing since sliced potatoes, a relatively successful but little known British alternative/Brit-pop act named Mansun released their sophomore album with blood in their hearts and bolts of creative lightning sizzling in their brains….but the world didn’t change at all. Pretty odd really, especially considering the fact that they had hit number 1 on the charts before with 1997’s Attack of the Grey Lantern. But, then again, nobody said that progressive rock had to be popular in order to kick ass right?

Simply put, Mansun's sophomore album Six was the sort of album that could have, possibly single-handedly even, revived progressive rock in the mainstream half a decade before groups such as The Mars Volta or Coheed and Cambria started selling out stadiums. It’s got the chops, the uncommercial song structures, the killer distortion, the electronic influences, the brilliant as hell production values...all the qualities that are necessary if you want a chance in hell in attempting to make a style like progressive rock work in a modern musical environment. Furthermore, this was the sound of a band, who could have easily done a pedestrian chart-smasher follow up to their debut without too much effort, trying to reach out and evolve themselves in a drastic way most groups never have the balls to attempt.

Within a minute or so of listening through the opening title track, you know this is going to be a weird trip, and it’s an attractive example of Mansun’s focused yet deliciously fragmented approach to songwriting. The mini-epic jumps between contrasting mood and tempo over the course of its 8 minute run with little rhyme or reason, shifting often but never treading obnoxious waters in the process.

Still, Six isn’t all insanity and pretentiousness. Tracks such as ‘Negative’ and ‘Serotonin’ are refreshingly catchy and straightforward in all the right places, single-length escapades that cut their hooks as close to the bone as you can go, while instrumental break ‘Witness To A Murder’ brings in opera of all things for extra album flavor. The overall result is an album that possesses a rock solid balance between the crazy experimental 6-8 minute suites and the shorter 2-4 minute songs that could be played on radio, and this is something a lot of progressive rock bands in both the past and present seem to fall all over themselves about.

For fans of The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd, punk music, Radiohead, etc, this is a work you will end up loving unconditionally. I also highly recommend it to anyone who is curious at hearing a cult classic that is far, far more than the sum of its eclectic parts.

Yeah. . . I should work on my thread.

I've heard three (all thanks to you) and parts of the Frost* album (really wasn't my thing).
Downloading the comp now!

8.

Ozric Tentacles – Jurassic Shift (1993)

1. Sunhair (5:43)
2. Stretchy (6:51)
3. Feng Shui (10:24)
4. Half Light in Thillai (5:35)
5. Jurassic Shift (11:05)
6. Petranodon (5:40)
7. Train Oasis (2:45)
8. Vita Voom (4:48)

When you listen to your favorite genre of music, a song you hold close to your soul, or see the band or artist you enjoy the most at a live show, what kinds of sensations do you experience?

Do your nerves tingle, moved to attention by the cascading sounds your little mind perceives? Or perhaps your emotions are touched, the beats stimulating the oozings of memory and feeling that make you who you are.

When it comes to the Ozric Tentacles and myself, I neither feel nor move. Rather, I close my eyes and see colors. And not just any nameable shade or tincture, but sharp bleeding brightnesses that simply cannot be categorized within the confines of human language.

Such is the power of this band for me, an instrumental group who bring about a powerful timbre in their playing that blends the best of psychedelia, space rock, dub, house, trance, prog. and even reggae into a cocktail that only gets better the longer you sip, and 1993's Jurassic Shift is where I bought my flagon.

This particular work, the only one within the Ozrics somewhat prolific discography that ended up charting on U.K. charts back in the early 90's, represents the band at their most mature and accessible. Proggers will get a kick out of the elastic track structures and hypnotic keyboards, as well as the epic track lengths that mark both "Feng Shui' and the title piece as this record's set of lungs, yet even so there a variety of hooks and layers to keep even the casual listener engaged.

Throughout the shorter pieces on the album, a contrast between Ozrics' progressive guitar-driven tendencies ('Sunhair', 'Vita Voom') and their electronic/dub groovings ('Stretchy', 'Pteranodon') should be readily noticed and appreciated by people who are turned off by epic track lengths. It's duality that later Ozric Tentacles' albums would not have, but on Jurassic Shift such arrangement makes the album flow about as perfect and balanced as you can get.

Modern progressive bands really need to take a few notes from the Ozrics; not only are they quite complex and rocking here, but there's a compulsiveness and liquidity that is in unfortunate short supply within both the prog. rock and metal schools of thought today. In a sense, this is the ideal antidote to the poison that are boring shred fests.

So take heed children. When you go treading on toadstools in the depths of a forest, these are the guys to have on repeat.

Lovely thread with really well-written reviews! All three have so far been a joy to read and the bands sound good too.

I got me some Ozrics already, but I'm definetly gonna look more into Advent and Mansun! Looking forward to the rest. :)

By the way :

http://i822.photobucket.com/albums/z...rogQuality.jpg

Although there are no numbers along the X axis, looking at this chart, one could think that ELP and Gentle Giant are the greatest prog bands ever! Nice graph :p:

Really great thread already, looking forward to the rest of the reviews. Listening to the Mansun album as we speak. Sounding good! Gonna try find the other two now.

Great write-ups.

Mansun, brilliant, 'Six' is one of my faves. Plus i have friend in Cheshire (Mansun's place of origin) who used to erm 'hang out' with Paul Draper and his circle as a teenager. Wild!

So far, I haven't thoroughly enjoyed any of these songs, but the reviews are really well written.

Well done, Capernicus. ^_^

7.

Moonlight – DownWords (2005)

1. Spy (7:56)
2. Irreversible (6:09)
3. Pati (5:43)
4. Into My hands (6:40)
5. Insomnia (6:11)
6. My own Words (3:59)
7. Pill (3:10)
8. Circus (9:30)
9. Downwords (10:41)

Portishead meets Megadeth.

Trip-hop meets glitch-rock meets your Russian uncle's favorite tricky Polka-Metal album.

The old timers smoking at your local jazz joint open their filthy coats wide and divulge guitars of shimmering steel to break the night to pieces.

Polish group Moonlight are a rather intriguing group that have been around since 1991 or so with 11 studio albums (as of 2009) under their belt. Although unknown compared to bands such as Riverside, Moonlight are the real treasure from the point of view of a guy like me, as they delve into territory that few prog. groups touch, electronica, and seamlessly blend it within and throughout the chaotic riffing that forms the basis of their sound. DownWords, their 10th album from 2005, is where this their odd mismatch of styles reached fruition, and hence its the one I'm reviewing here.

In particular, 'Spy' and 'Circus' are ideal showcases of what Moonlight does best; folksy licks amidst classically-inspired grooves that burst free with riffagee when you least expect it. Accordions also get their fair share of screentime here, which contributes to the quirky yet dark mood that pervades DownWords.

Lyrically and structurally, the strangeness is never in short supply. Odd silences will manifest themselves as if this were some kind of experiment in minimalism. Beats and the wisps of an instrumental flourish will echo back and forth from distant spaces before being extinguished. And finally, female vocalist Maja Konarska (who sounds like a sultry cross between Bjork and Goldfrapp) keeps each track captivating and not lacking in a sense of mystery. Overall, a powerful and strange landmark within the weak-willed annals of progressive metal history, but already...not remembered.

Play this and forget your musical identity. The blandness of other things will become apparant, and you will get lost in the woods.

Goodnight number 7.

6.

Thieves' Kitchen – The Water Road (2008)

1. The Long Fianchetto (21:01)
2. Returglas (4:12)
3. Chameleon (9:00)
4. Om Tare (7:44)
5. Tacenda for You (9:34)
6. When the Moon is in the River of Heaven (7:46)
7. Plaint (2:35)
8. The Water Road (11:13)

Beginning with a Swedish band called Anglagard back in 1992, the dank Mellotron-drenched schema originally pioneered by classic ensembles such as King Crimson and Van Der Graaf Generator has for over a decade now held a fairly good-sized niche in modern prog. canon. Too bad most of the bands who are part of that particular niche are hella boring and lack the ability to create anything memorable. From Anekdoten to Sinkadus to Wobbler...it's all just a big ol' pile of meh!

Thank the heavens above then for Thieves' Kitchen, a group who, on a little-known 2008 album called The Water Road, actually managed to innovate and breathe life into this approach with one fell swoop. This is partly due to the wonderful presence of Amy Darby on vocals, but also because the music gives listeners something most retro-prog does not: space. Take this part from the opener 'The Long Fianchetto' for instance:



The piano and jazzy drums, along with the cello and melancholic guitar licks is just so much more interesting and open from a listening perspective than the typical Mellotron-overwashing+guitar shredding. Although it still gets heavy at times, the fact that the interplay reminds me more of The Mahavishnu Orchestra than Spock's Beard is really something to be admired, with part 2 of our opening epic a prime cut for the ear in this regard;



These people CAN play, but they also fully grasp those principles of restraint and ambience so oft forgotten in a genre that prides itself on excess. Hence, I can also vouch that the rest of The Water Road is rather fantastic throughout the rest of its lineup, especially in the moments where flute and/or vocals take precedence over the usual antics you come to expect in this genre. Truly top class material, and at times seemingly beyond the trappings of a time or musical label in how it appeals to my senses:



So for those seeking progressive rock with steller atmosphere, timeless beauty and an ever-welcome shifting jazzy dynamic to keep things interesting, Thieves' Kitchen are just what the doctor ordered.

I haven't heard moonlight or Thieves' Kitchen, but I'm in the process of getting a hold of them. Good reviews as always ;)

edit :

Listening to Thieves Kitchen now and, I gotta be honest with ya .. It's awesome!

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!

4.

King Crimson – THRAK (1995)

1. VROOOM (4:37)
2. Coda: Marine 475 (2:41)
3. Dinosaur (6:35)
4. Walking On Air (4:34)
5. B'Boom (4:11)
6. THRAK (3:58)
7. Inner Garden 1 (1:47)
8. People (5:53)
9. Radio 1 (0:43)
10. One Time (5:21)
11. Radio 2 (1:02)
12. Inner Garden 2 (1:15)
13. Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream (4:48)
14. VROOOM VROOOM (5:37)
15. VROOOM VROOOM: Coda (3:00)

Ten years after the release of Three Of A Perfect Pair, King Crimson returned in glorious swagger to a very different musical environment for the 1980's. Now was the age of grunge, of boy band schmaltz, of Blur and Oasis, and most of all the end of an era where radio and television completely controlled what music you were and were not exposed to.

In times such as these, what's a prog. band to do?

Change, evolve and kick some tail obviously!

THRAK marks a prominent evolution in King Crimson's already wondrous discography, putting the jazz and Frippertronics on the downswing and rediscovering that plodding wonderful density that made albums such as In The Court of the Crimson King and Red such marvelous attention getters. Furthermore, Fripp and the boys learned the value of "less is more': The track lengths were slimmed, the guitars and drumming brought up a notch in lieu with the tendencies of grunge and alternative rock, which wasn't that big a stretch considering the influence that King Crimson have on both genres; Kurt Cobain often cited Red as a favorite album of his after all.

Still, despite a few nods to accessibility and 90's rock (or perhaps because of those nods) THRAK is a masterpiece of modern progressive rock at the end of the 20th century. This is partly due to the fact that 'Dinosaur' and 'People' are very strong tracks, the former due to being a perfect fusion of 70's KC and alternative while the latter boasts some of the best bass and drum work the group ever cut on a track shorter than six minutes.



What's surprising here though is that the album's strongest moment, atleast in my opinion, comes very early on in the form of a crooned ballad from Adrian Belew, 'Walking On Air'. It's quiet, spacey, and also a subtle nod to the band's 1981 masterpiece Discipline in both structure and approach. It's also one of the rare occasions that Robert Fripp and co. have blatantly penned a love song.




Still, the rest of the album is fairly awesome too, with my kudos in particular going to 'Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream', a fun track that starts off oddly bluesy before chilling down into a killer mantra which gets into a drum freakout after about 2 minutes in.

Within King Crimson's massive discography, its really hard NOT to recommend THRAK. It's concise, very accessible, still livid with the baddass bass+drum+guitar work that makes them who they are, and best of all a diverse work which lets multiple sides of the band shine through without cheese or extravagant drama.

If there ever was a good example of an old band learning new tricks and even innovating, this is the best you'll find. Also recommended for people wanting to get into King Crimson but who can't stand longer track lengths.

Nice thread and good call on Mansun although I do prefer their debut although it's not as multi layered as Six. A couple of bands on there that I haven't heard too. Top stuff.

3.

Frost* – Milliontown (2006)

1. Hyperventilate (7:31)
2. No Me No You (6:06)
3. Snowman (3:55)
4. The Other Me (4:51)
5. Black Light Machine (10:06)
6. Milliontown (26:35)

Jem Godfrey is not normally a name you'd associate with progressive rock in any form or shape. His resume as a producer is solidly within the realm of commercial pop and was pivotal in the success of many #1 charters such Atomic Kitten and Holly Valence. However, around 2004 or so, he decided to pursue working with a genre that was about as far from commercial as one could get, a form of music he had always loved but had never been able to work within before: P.R.O.G. rock.

So after calling up a few old friends and bringing in one or two neo-prog. scene favorites John Mitchell and Andy Edwards, Frost* was born: a project to bridge the expansive majesty of progressive rock to commercial pop-rock.

Was the fusion successful? With the release of 2006 debut Milliontown, the answer is wholehearted yes. Each of the six tracks here, from the industrial-tinged 'No Me No You' to the spellbinding 'Black Light Machine' encapsulate in some way or another both the grandeur of 1970's experimentation and the thirty years of musical revolution and change that came afterward, mixed into some of the slickest production values that bring guys like Alan Parsons and Quincy Jones to mind. More than just successful, this was a winning combination that neo-progressive rock had yet to even touch.

But praises aside, Milliontown is also one of those albums that changed the way I thought of music, and furthermore it singlehandedly hooked me onto a genre when I was a stupid sophomore back in high school that not even Pink Floyd or Yes had managed to excite me to explore. This stuff was very modern sounding, but sharp and grandiose in ways that radio wasn't. This was...well, intimate and intricate, and so different from what I knew. It was also really tight on the instruments, but colorful in execution vocally and taking care to try new things with every track.

This was also the first album I had ever heard with a nearly half hour track...and even more strangely, a nearly half hour track that was AWESOME all the way through. Extravagant but never boring, full of motifs and designed not as separate hum-drum movements but as one continuous whole to keep you interested...my first time sitting through this as someone who didn't know anything is still an experience I can't forget.



Hundreds of new progressive rock albums are released a year; the sheer volume overwhelms anyone even trying to figure out where they should begin. But, whether by fate or coincidence, I cannot express how great a doorway to modern prog. that Milliontown was for me. From the vocals to the memorable yet complex arrangements that perpetuate the six tracks here, even a casual listener will find something to latch onto with surprise and a smile.

For those looking something accessible yet accomplished, Frost* are where its at amidst the lameness and sameness that prevail about us. Enjoy!

2.

Sigh – Imaginary Sonicscape (2001)

1. Corpsecry - Angelfall (06:42)
2. Scarlet Dream (05:11)
3. Nietzchean Conspiracy (05:24)
4. A Sunset Song (06:49)
5. Impromptu (Allegro Maestoso) (01:24)
6. Dreamsphere (Return To Chaos) (06:51)
7. Voices (7:02)
8. Ecstatic Transformation (05:35)
9. Slaughtergarden Suite (10:57)
10. Born Condemned Criminal (5:41)
11. Bring Back The Dead (06:40)
12. Requiem - Nostalgia (07:58)

The band? - Sigh
The country? - Japan
The genre? - Prog. n' black metal based ear-rape that goes WAY beyond the trappings of either genre.

/summary end...and now for a real review! :wave::

Before becoming one of the coolest progressive outfits to ever operate under a metal genre tag of any kind, Sigh, like many well-to-do black metal bands back in the early 90's, began their career by doing lots of Celtic Frost covers and sending it shitty sounding demos to any and every label that might want to get some fans' heads bangin'. Needless to say, they got signed before too long to Deathlike Silence Productions and since that time have gone from being merely a novelty (Japan has black metal??1 zomg1) to a bunch of individuals working together in glorious harmony to see how far black metal can be bent and twisted without losing grip on a thrashy, raw foundation.

Still, it wasn't until 2001's Imaginary Sonicscape that all that Sigh was and aspired to be finally coalesced into a singular vision for the rest of the world to hear, and GODDAMN if it isn't one hell of a ride from start to stop!

Opener 'Corpsecry - Angelfall' sucks you right in from the get-go, giving listeners who are unfamiliar with Sigh's basic approach a general idea of their oddly catchy sound (NWOBHM guitar-riffage, proggy keyboards, snarling black metal vocals) while providing utter delight to those more familiar with their work. The production is sharp, the instruments all balanced and mixed in quite well, and you couldn't ask for a better start from a bunch as eclectic as this.

By 'Nietzschean Conspiracy', the third track, though, even new listeners know this isn't going to be your typical awesome black metal. Sleazy sax, psychedelic keyboards and a FREAKIN' violin ensemble provide a backdrop to an unusual crooning-yet-snarling delivery, as if Marvin Gaye gargled acid then teamed up with Emperor to become lead vocalist, and the result is nothing short of stupendous.



But when every track here is a step outside the box in some way, shape or form, the highlights become an ocean, everywhere around you as the volume goes up and the minutes tick away like youth. Howver, a few other particular high points include the, dare I say it, sunny-disco-Beach Boys black metal of track #4 'A Sunset Song', which in and of itself is worth getting this album for, and the oddly operatic closer 'Requiem - Nostalgia', which features a HARMONICA of all things. Strange, but awesome nevertheless!

In closing, Sigh is one of modern progressive/black metal's best kept secrets, blessed with more talent and edge than they will ever be appreciated for. They're less blatantly weird than Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, closer in spirit to the New Wave of British Heavy Metal groups with cleaner and more interesting riffing than most black metal, but best of all aren't afraid to try new things even if it makes the music catchier or simpler than what some people seek in the worlds of prog., metal, and progressive metal.

But if you guys want to hear something a bit different, a tad accessible, and even a mite groundbreaking, then Imaginary Sonicscape will flavor many a musical palette in the coming days and ages, hopefully influencing other bands to up their game a bit along the way.

What? Sigh? What?

<3 Lovelovelovelove them.
Actually, I discovered them here.
When I first joined. ^_^

The first two tracks are my favourites.

I'm glad you reviewed them.

Heh good choice with Sigh, that is easily their best album. I wasn't even aware of this thread, but there's some excellent choices and some that I will certainly look into.

Just from the songs you posted, that is seriously the best thing you've posted so far.

1.

Ritual – The Hemulic Voluntary Band (2007)

1. The Hemulic Voluntary Band (4:53)
2. In The Wild (5:53)
3. Late In November (4:56)
4. The Groke (6:05)
5. Waiting By The Bridge (4:36)
6. A Dangerous Journey (26:33)

Armed to the teeth with manic creativity and the instrumental, vocal and conceptual chops to bring it all to life, Ritual's 4th studio album from 2007, The Hemulic Voluntary Band, could not have arrived on the scene in a more opportune decade, when most prog. bands seem strapped for ideas and cycle through the motions on each subsequent release. Chugging guitar, pounding piano and viola, basslines which snake and coil themselves into knotted shapes, and the unusual yet intriguing vocals of one Patrik Lundström all meet together as one whole to fishhook your auditory senses and reel you up into a new world.

This, my friends, is Ritual.

The assault begins abruptly with the Eastern-tinged title track, starting off with an intro that brings to mind groups such as Gentle Giant and individuals like Frank Zappa to mind before Lundstrom's vocals come in and transform the song into something anthemic. "We're ready to play!" he assures as the quirky bass & colorful keyboards nod to one another and duel. A real fun and knotty start to an album that only winds tighter the further along you go.



Track numero dos 'Into The Wild' once again breaks the mold with a drum and piano burst before mellowing and swelling wonderfully with the vocals at various points. At 2:45 however things take yet another turn by going into a sole, beautiful piano piece of all things up until the 3:50 mark where we are brought, after some nice distorted guitar soloing, back to the main theme.



What comes next is the first major highlight for me personally, a folk piece called 'Late In November' which reminds me of Yes crossed with Tim Buckley but with a touch of something else that is undoubtedly Ritual lodged somewhere within the proceedings. The fiddle and other traditional instruments are a nice touch also. 'The Groke', on the other hand, is a plodding dirge of a rock piece where the piano and Lundstrom's vocals have taken on airs on unmistakable menace, focusing in on the fear of mankind that nature has of us.

Still, my favorite track here is without a doubt one of the most entertaining proggy pieces of the last twenty years or so, 'Waiting By The Bridge'. The song is basically Scandinavian funk-meets-Yes masterstroke delivered in four minutes and thirty nine seconds, and its absolutely perfect in every way. The guitar and bass especially kick ass from the 2:33 mark onwards and should get anyone's feet tapping without much trouble.



But where would any self-respecting progressive rock album be without an "overblown, pointless and meandering" suite to close off the musical procession? Well, 'A Dangerous Journey' is certainly long at nearly half an hour in length, but contrary to expectations...its actually pretty damn cohesive and interesting through start to stop. For one thing, the multiple traditional folk instruments from 'Late In November' are melded to the more traditional crazy rock instruments from the last few tracks from the very start of the track, and it sounds absolutely KILLER coupled with this album's high production values. And within the first four minutes, Lundstrom literally blees his voice to octave registers you wouldn't believe, and the rest of the track follows this jaw-dropping opening section as naturally as could be. By the end of this, you will be tired...but happy & impressed as hell as hell could be.

So why is 'The Hemulic Voluntary Band' at #1 instead of Sigh, King Crimson or the Ozric Tentacles?

Well for one thing, the playing here is some of the most spirited and invigorating as I've encountered on albums within the genre - its almost as if Gentle Giant circa Octopus back in 1972 gained modern production values and crossed over with Jefferson Airplane instead of being all medieval. Secondly, Mr. Patrik Lundstrom is an extremely talented vocalist and lead guitarist; in terms of just his voice alone, I don't think I've heard anyone sound quite like him. And finally, the album is succinctly structured and painstakingly arranged on a pure songwriting level; everything contrasts but flows together, but not in the typical prog. "make everything one big track" way. There's just something different here.

So to close: In terms of sheer variety, musicianship and accessibility, Ritual are among the most cunning and attention-getting outfits you can find on the scene today. Essential modern progressive rock, perhaps even a landmark in modern music as a whole, and most definitely deserves to be heard by a much bigger audience than just fans of the genre: its a masterpiece for everyone who wants to hear good music played with joy, fervor and imagination.

Got a link for that Mansun album? I'm having trouble finding it.

I've checked'em all out and from the last four, the album that made the biggest impression on me so far was THRAK. What a sound from the old boys! Reminiscent of Red as you say (which is awesome), but still different. There's a strange power to the kind of sounds they make.

0.

Big Big Train – The Underfall Yard (2009)

1. Evening Star (4:53)
2. Master James Of St. George (6:19)
3. Victorian Brickwork (12:33)
4. Last Train (6:28)
5. Winchester Diver (7:31)
6. The Underfall Yard (22:54)

To witness the transition of a band from being merely good at what they do to outclassing nearly all others in their genre in the space of a single release is truly a rare thing in music on the whole...much less progressive rock. For the last twenty some odd years after all, band after band have endlessly, and futilely, attempted to recreate the grandeur of early-to-mid 70's Genesis, starting with Marillion in the mid 80's...and even now continue to fail with each subsequent year that passes.

In the case of Big Big Train's late 2009 release The Underfall Yard, however, something interesting has occurred. Rather than merely aspiring to the heights of bands from the past, Big Big Train have opted toward a more interesting goal: refine and reinterpret what Gabriel and the rest did four decades ago in an attractive, deliciously produced package for people who are looking for something very proggy, very English, and most all very contemporary in its feel/approach.

"Did Big Big Train succeed?" you ask. You bet your ass they did!...

...and yet, another might inquire, what makes The Underfall Yard work where so many other bands and albums fail?

Part of it may have to do with the lineup: along with band founders Andy Poole and Gregory Spawton, a number of fantastic musicians were pulled in to join the project, least of which is THE Dave Gregory of XTC, who plays excellent lead guitar the whole album through and most of which an entire brass band, tubas and all.

The real toast of the town, however, is newcomer David Longdon on vocals. A gifted flautist who has been involved with a variety of different bands through the 80's and 90's, Longdon also possesses a splendid set of pipes that strike somewhere between Phil Collins and Peter Gabriel in range, yet somehow come off as more melodically pleasing than either one of them these days. Heck, the man was actually auditioned to replace Collins back in the late 90's when the drummer/frontman left Genesis behind. Curious!

Still, fantastic lineup or no, an album is nothing if the resulting material from said-lineup isn't up to snuff. Such is not the case here: the album's six tracks have a certain magic to them, leading the listener on a tour de force though different time periods in England's history centered around the creation. life and fall of the album's titular Underfall Cathedral whilst exploring themes of naturalism vs. industrial progress, the nature of time, and other lyrical hooplah that you may not give a shit about while you listen. However, they do add a nice element to the music if you pay attention! :laughing:

And with that the album review itself: The Underfall Yard kicks off with an enigmatic little ditty called 'Evening Star', a piece that owes just as much of its delicious ambiance to post-rock as it does to Genesis and Gentle Giant. The drums and wordless choir vocals in particular are rather ear-catching, building up to an explosion midway through that leads into some dualing brass and acoustic guitar until it fades into-

"Master James, James, James, Jammmesss of St. George," sings Longdon with a swing to his swell in the opening section of track numero dos 'Master James of St. George', as good a start to a song as any I've heard. Bass guitar is hella prominent thoughout, leading us through an excerpt in the life of Master James, an architect who built many a castle back in the day. Lots of hooks abound here thanks to Longdon's magnificent delivery, but his wistful whistling near the end says far more than words can carry...and it's only going to get better from here on out.



'Victorian Brickwork' and 'Last Train' serve as something like a center cut to the grade-A steak that is The Underfall Yard: lots of soul-savoring flavor to the juicy meat with very little of the usual bland prog. fat. The former is an exercise in seeing how durned beautiful you can make a song in 12 minutes, culminating in one of the best moments in the whole record: a brass and guitar combined reprise of its main theme about ten minutes in. The latter track, on the other hand, is the catchiest on the album: an acoustic rocker with one hell of a refrain to boot. Both do the record a great deal of entertaining service.



Things take a noticeably darker turn with the advent of track five 'Winchester Diver', a claustrophobic mini-epic dealing with a botched rescue mission when the Underfall Cathedral collapses into the groundwater beneath its foundation, trapping many people inside and pulling them down in the dark and mud to die. Mournful guitar and flute, a vaguely menacing delivery from Longdon and a creepy industrial aesthetic about midway through do wonders in bringing the story to life. Wish I could say the same about God knows how many other concept albums out there!



And last but not least, there's the title track: a 22-minute sprawl that, funnily enough, is probably the best progressive rock song in the last two decades. The choruses are perfect, the themes are hummably memorable, the playing is excellent...hell, even the lyrics have their moments:

Roofless engine houses,
Distant hills like bookends,
frame electrical storms.
Moving out to sea,
away from England...

Those days have gone, those days...
Those days have gone,
Their names are lost,
The stories left untold.

Under an ordinary star
We are just moments of time.
It is the end of the line,
This place is worked out...

In the oft-ignored world of progressive rock, there are occasions when something emerges out of the woodwork which can appeal to even a genre's most die-hard detractors...and moreso than almost anything else this last decade, The Underfall Yard is such an album. It's potential was huge, it's concept was grand, and the result of Big Big Train's ambition is about as close to flawless as one can hope to find in a genre so muddled with slick generics at every corner. This is the Selling England By The Pound of the Noughties, an absolute monster that will be remembered in later years as a classic in it's niche...and perhaps beyond.

I've been catching up on this thread you've got here...and Sigh is truly amazing. I like your other reviews too, but those guys are the ****. I have to slow down on your reviews, though, I think I have too much new music to get through now.

Didn't mind that Big Big Train stuff! Very Porcupine Tree-esque.

Wow this thread went to shit after I left, I remember all of these from like a month ago. Next random chance I get to be online I hope there are some more reviews in this thing... so, make it happen!

Actually, the thread tagline claims it's a "ten album guide to modern progressive rock and metal" and it contains 11 reviews, so I'm not sure if Anteater intends to keep this going .. Although now that he's already gone over the originally intended ten, he could arguably just keep going.

Thanks for reminding me about Frost, need to listen to the "Experiments in Mass Appeal" still. Think i will now :)

Going Overtime:
Modern Prog. Band of the Month

Although the people involved have been playing in and around various bands since the late 70's, Brother Ape didn't officially form until the early 2000's, when vocalist & guitarist Stefan Damicolas and drummer Max Bergman recruited in keyboardist Gunnar Maxén and began writing/recording ideas that led to the formation of a dynamic sound which (so far anyway) nobody has been able to duplicate.

Simply put, Brother Ape are one of the hardest bands in today's prog. rock scene to wrap one's head around: they blend Yes-like harmonies with the sort of skittering rhythms and propulsion you'd associate with drum n' bass artists like Venetian Snares whilst pulling off technical maneuvers not too far off from 70's jazz fusion pioneers Weather Report...sometimes all in the space of a single track..and usually with some pop sensibility and some of the finest drum work this side of the century thrown in for good measure, as tracks like these might illustrate-





As of 2010, the band has four LPs out, all of which I drew from to put together the downloadable sampler near the top of the post. Hence, the band can be divided into four 'phases" of development so far, each one a more experimental step than the last. Makes you wonder what they'll do next on the album they're currently in the midst of working on! :)

So anyway everyone, enjoy the compilation and the vids. I will PM any of these albums to those who request them! :beer:

Anyone have the megaupload/mediafire for that Ritual album?

Not what you want, but Baggs has the first Ritual on tape somewhere.

Recall it was okay but not much more.

Jack Pat did not ask Baggs' opinion. :)

yo
i realize this thread is ancient.
honestly i don't even know how active this forum is so i may be talking to ghosts, but i was wondering if there's gonna be any more to this guide like, ever...

i've managed to get my hands on nearly all of it.
i've yet to sort through most, but i'm completely hooked on Ritual & Big Big Train's albums and even if it turns out i dislike all the rest, those are still much better odds than i've had yet in my music hunting.
thanks to the ridiculous number of bands out there i'm having trouble finding anything post 90's that isn't total crap.

the only modern work i liked so far that didn't come from this list is by Maudlin of the Well (i prefer their lighter work, but their heavier stuff is still very good, if not my thing.)

honestly i'm kinda surprised they didn't make the list.
their last album before turning into Kayo Dot (which i'm still on the fence about), called Part The Second, is particularly awesome.
it's also completely free from their site, so anyone reading this has no excuse not to give it a shot.

i've rambled enough...
here's hoping the Essential Guide gets a second issue.

I've been thinking of adding more to the guide actually: there have been a couple more modern prog. bands and albums that I feel go above and beyond which have not been reviewed so far.

However, I still consider the albums I reviewed here to be a great introduction to modern progressive rock and the places it can go.

The reason I didn't review any of Maudlin of the Well is because even Part The Second had a distinct metal bent, and I purposely excluded anything particularly progressive metal related in order to keep things focused.

that makes sense for all the other works, but Part the Second is, to my ears, so decidedly non-metal, i really don't see how it can be classified as such.

i guess this shouldn't be made into a discussion thread, so i won't press you on it.

still seems an odd description for the album (while being a very good one for the band in general).

guess it doesn't matter too much, once mentioned.
anyone interested can check it out.

anyway, i'm glad to hear you're not gonna retire the thread yet.
can't w8 to see what you got up your sleeve.