Category: Progressive (Page 4 of 7)

Gary Wright: Connected

August 16, 2010 /


RIYL: Alan Parsons, The Moog Cookbook; Gary Wright circa 1975

There are arguments about touring with Ringo Starr and his all-star band, which is currently in its eleventh incarnation. Some critics argue that it is a confirmation that you have become a nostalgia act. Some of the artists have used the exposure and experience as a springboard to record new material. That has been true for Ringo himself, who continues to put out consistently good records. Colin Hay, John Waite and Todd Rundgren have also offered new and decent recordings since touring with the former Beatle timekeeper. Now we can add Gary Wright to that list, as he jumps in the time machine and offers up Connected, a pseudo sequel to 1975’s Dream Weaver.

Jeff “Skunk” Baxter adds guitar to a couple of tracks while Ringo Starr and Joe Walsh guest on the opening track “Satisfied,” a funky little tune which seems to stick in your head for several days after first listen. The focus of the music here is the unique and effective vocal style of Wrights in combination with his time capsule keyboard work. They are an excellent complement of each other. The record is most effective when Wright’s unique keyboards funk it up like on “Satisfied, “Get Your Hands Up” and the very spacey and gospel-influenced ” Can’t Find No Mercy.” “No One Does It Better” is also a cut with a slower but equally tasty groove. The record for the most part is delightful and only slumps when it slows down. Tracks like “Under Your Spell” and “Life’s Not a Battlefield” sound preachy and lose the vibe established by the other tracks. The strength of the other material equates to a very solid effort by the former keyboardist of Spooky Tooth. (Larkio Music, 2010)

Gary Wright MySpace page

CD Reviews, Pop, Progressive

Hey Champ: Star

July 7, 2010 /

RIYL: Daft Punk’s “Aerodynamic,” The Buggles, Bourgeois Tagg

There aren’t many bands that can speak to fans of Alphaville, Yes, Bourgeois Tagg and Tangerine Dream, yet there but for the grace of God go Chicago trio Hey Champ. Armed with only a guitar, a drum set and a couple of vintage keyboards, Hey Champ’s debut album Star is a strange blend of synth pop, rock and jazzy prog, and while that might sound like a band in the midst of an identity crisis, Hey Champ combines these elements quite meticulously.

Hey_Champ_01

The beauty of melding such disparate influences is that it yields a variety of sounds. “Word=War” channels Death Cab for Cutie at their most anthemic (much of that due to singer Saam Hagshenas’ uncanny impression of Ben Gibbard, thankfully relegated to this one song), while “Shake” blends New Order guitar lines with keyboard riffs that could have come from a Saga record. Some of their chord sequences are of the borrowed variety – the chorus to “So American” is not far removed from “Comfortably Numb,” and the end of the great “Steampunk Camelot” bears resemblance to Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” minus the pomposity – but these guys aren’t thieves; they’re musicologists, and Star is the work of one wildly diverse record collection. One of the smarter synth pop records you’ll hear this year, or any other. (Townie Records 2010)

Hey Champ MySpace page
Click to buy Star from Amazon

Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Pop, Progressive, Rock

Foxy Shazam: Foxy Shazam

June 9, 2010 /


RIYL: Queen, Meat Loaf, Mike Patton, Epic Facial Hair

There’s a scene in Cameron Crowe’s “Almost Famous” where two members of the fictional band Stillwater are arguing over who works the hardest. The lead singer makes his case the best, yelling at the guitarist “You know what I do? I connect. I get people off. I look for the guy who isn’t getting off, and I make him get off!”

Convert that sentiment into music, and that is the sound of Foxy Shazam’s self-titled third album. This is music tailor-made to get you off. The magnificent howls of lead singer Eric Sean Nally grab you by the ghoulies from opening minute of the intro, which he closes with an ungodly howl that will make your dog freak the eff out, and doesn’t let go. From there it’s bombs away, literally, that’s the name of opening track, and figuratively; these crazy mothers from Cincinnati are not afraid to throw everything they got at you and then some.

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Past that, it’s practically impossible to describe the maniacal sound Foxy Shazam created on this record. No genre can contain them, not even on a single song. They’re part ’70s glam, part ’80s metal and part ’90s hardcore, all with an overwhelming current of timeless soul thrown in. Some tracks, like “Count Me Out” and “Unstoppable,” wear their Queen/Elton John influences on their sleeves. But odder numbers like the oddly funky “Connect” defy all categorization. Then there’s the lyrics, which are so goofy and high on camp that they just have to be serious. On “Bye Bye Symphony” Nally seductively belts out “life is a bitch but she’s totally doable” and on the ode to down-low loving “Second Floor” he compares his sneaking ability to that of G.I. Joe. It’s so crazy it doesn’t just work, it works marvelously.

You need this record. Trust me. Sure, you can buy the new Broken Social Scene album and have yourself a good cry, or you can pick up Foxy Shazam and have your ears punched in the balls with a fistful of awesome. Your choice. (Sire 2010)

Foxy Shazam MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Funk, Metal, Progressive, Rock, Soul

Deftones: Diamond Eyes

May 13, 2010 /


RIYL: P.O.D., Soulfly, Black Sabbath

Diamond Eyes delivers a concise, effective and heavy record. The Deftones have been the most interesting band to emerge from the ’90s and has consistently delivered music that entertains, provokes and never bores. Currently in heavy rotation, the title track is the perfect opening to an excellent 41-minute ride. Alternating between Sabbath-esque deep riffs and a soaring chorus, “Diamond Eyes” sets the tone for the rest of the record.

IMG_6621 RETOUCH

The evolution of Diamond Eyes needs to be noted. Originally, the Deftones started recording a still-unreleased record titled Eros (as a follow up to 2006’s Saturday Night Wrist) but shelved it shortly after bassist Chi Cheng was in serious car accident, leaving him in a coma. Feeling the need to go in a completely different artistic direction, the band started constructing Diamond Eyes. With Cheng’s condition unchanged, Quicksand bassist Sergio Vega stepped in, played on the current record and is a touring. One would expect a bunch of songs about the angst surrounding the tragedy; instead the lyrics are more abstract and enigmatic while accompanied by the atmospheric, heavy and borderline progressive arrangements. Occasionally, the music is reminiscent of a much heavier and hookier Pink Floyd (on cuts like “Sextape” and “976-Evil”) but Chino and the boys offer enough guitar crunch to meet your metal jones and the record has just enough screaming to be effective without being obnoxious.

Diamond Eyes is akin to the brilliant P.O.D.’s 2008 When Angels and Serpents Dance, which was an example of a band evolving, perfecting and deepening their sound. Diamond Eyes is the same. The Deftones have a unique sound, most of it due to Chino Marino’s hypnotic vocals contrasting with the harder arrangements. Marino can scream, hit the highs and flat out sing when he feels like it. Diamond Eyes is satisfying enough at 41 minutes but leaves you wanting just a bit more. Isn’t that the way it should be? (Reprise 2010)

Deftones MySpace page

CD Reviews, Metal, Progressive, Rock

Coheed & Cambria: Year of the Black Rainbow

April 8, 2010 /


RIYL: Rush, Dream Theater, Queensrÿche

There have been plenty of concept albums, but Coheed And Cambria may be the world’s first concept band. All of the group’s releases to date have been installments in one epic story, a sci-fi space opera dubbed The Armory Wars. And if that wasn’t confusing enough, their debut album was actually the second part of the saga; the three albums that proceeded it told the third and fourth parts (the fourth part was in itself a two-parter). Now we finally get the first chapter with Year of the Black Rainbow.

Here’s a quick recap for the uninitiated: There’s a federation of planets called Heaven’s Fence, which are held together by an energy force called the Keywork. This system is ruled by the evil Wilhelm Ryan and the only person that can stop him is Claudio Kilgannon, the son of Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon (who also happens to share the name of the band’s lead singer Claudio Sanchez). His journey is one filled with violence, heartache and loss as he struggles to accept his fate as the messiah known as The Crowning. Oh, and at one point in the narrative focus shifts to “The Writer” who created all these characters. He’s tormented by an evil bicycle. (There is a comic book that makes all of this a little clearer…but not by much).

Coheed And Cambria

So in case your couldn’t already tell, this is prog rock. But it’s really good prog rock, and while Coheed’s lyrics aren’t exactly user-friendly, their music sure as hell is. Just like the band’s four other albums, Year of the Black Rainbow, effortlessly combines prog conventions (complex drumming, and the aforementioned lyrical insanity) with catchy pop hooks and heavy metal thunder ripped straight from ’80s power metal. And while it works well as a single work (or as one part of an even larger work), tracks like “The Broken,” “Far” and the excellent single “Here We Are Juggernaut” all stand strong as individual pieces, which is something that even a lot of the best prog rock albums can’t pull off.

It can be a little ridiculous and over the top at times, and Claudio’s distinctive Geddy Lee-esque voice will no doubt annoy some listeners to death. But if you like your rock as subtle as a punch in a face by a gorilla, then you’ll enjoy the bombastic insanity of Year of the Black Rainbow, and every other Coheed And Cambria album for that matter.

WARNING: Although all five parts of The Armory Wars records are great, listening to them back to back in narrative order will make you go insane. (Columbia 2010)


Coheed and Cambria MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Emo, Metal, Progressive, Rock

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