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Nektar – Down To Earth

February 2nd, 2010 No Comments

For many progressive rock fans, the German band Nektar hit their grand slam with the 1973 concept album Remember The Future – essentially one song spread across two album sides. The band’s 1974 follow-up, Down To Earth, takes a wacked-out circus as its theme; Nektar tighten the song structures and create another prog-rock classic.

The vintage Nektar sound is all over: chiming guitar chords (“Show Me The Way”), lilting harmonies (“Early Morning Clown”), perfect melodies (“Little Boy”), in-your-face-bass (“Astral Man”) and a wonderful sense of play (“Nelly The Elephant” and “Fidgety Queen”). Look for the Eclectic Discs reissue, which includes six alternate versions of Down To Earth songs and outtakes.

This is a preview of Nektar – Down To Earth. Read the full post (139 words, 1 image, estimated 33 secs reading time)

Posted in Listening To

Tags: astral man, german band, guitar chords, magical mystery tour, nektar, prog rock, progressive rock, roye albrighton

Dead Heroes Club – A Time Of Shadow

December 14th, 2009 No Comments

For whatever reason progressive rock has never established a foothold in Ireland. Just across the Irish Sea, in neighboring England, progressive rock flourished in the 1970s so much that entire “schools” of prog were born. Maybe it was the political climate of the land that kept the often fantasy-themed explorations of prog from finding roots in Ireland. While English bands such as Yes, Genesis, Emerson, Lake & Palmer were traversing imagined landscapes and worlds, Ireland’s Rory Gallagher’s feet were planted firmly on the ground, playing meat-and-potatoes blues-rock for his country men and women. But there was a void… until now.

This is a preview of Dead Heroes Club – A Time Of Shadow. Read the full post (578 words, 1 image, estimated 2:19 mins reading time)

Posted in CD and Record Reviews

Tags: acoustic guitar, blues rock, caravan, carmen, emerson lake palmer, Fish, flower kings, focus, Genesis, glass hammer, Kansas, king crimson, lake, le orme, liam campbell, marillion, michael gallagher, moody blues, nektar, peter gabriel, porcupine tree, progressive rock, Rory Gallagher, spock's beard, triumvirat, yes

The Pineapple Thief – “Tightly Unwound”

May 5th, 2009 No Comments

$Pineapple Thief \$

Tightly Unwound is the seventh studio release from England’s The Pineapple Thief and their first release for Kscope/Snapper Records. Led by guitarist/singer/songwriter Bruce Soord, the quartet is rounded out by bassist John Sykes, drummer Keith Harrison and keyboardist Steve Kitch. After cultivating a following over nearly ten years, the band was encouraged by Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson to join with Kscope in order to bring their music to a wider audience. Kscope, home to other artists with “post-prog” tendencies is a perfect fit for Soord and company. Tightly Unwound is a clever amalgam of light, sometimes ornate, indie pop with lengthier pieces that build upon themselves and are obscurely structured in movements with well planned repetition of theme. This is music for which there is little comparison, but that may actually be pushing the boundaries of a developing movement.

This is a preview of The Pineapple Thief – “Tightly Unwound”. Read the full post (724 words, 1 image, estimated 2:54 mins reading time)

Posted in CD and Record Reviews

Tags: aqualung, gentle giant, jethro tull, john sykes, keith harrison, nektar, pineapple thief, porcupine tree, prog rock, snapper records, steven wilson

Nektar – Down To Earth review

December 30th, 2008 No Comments

$Nektar\'s \$

For many prog-rock fans, the German band Nektar hit their grand slam with the 1973 concept album Remember The Future – essentially one song spread across two album sides. The band’s 1974 follow-up, Down To Earth, takes a wacked-out circus as its theme; Nektar tighten the song structures and hit another one over the fence.

The classic Nektar sound is all over: chiming guitar chords (“Show Me The Way”), lilting harmonies (“Early Morning Clown”), perfect melodies (“Little Boy”), in-your-face bass (“Astral Man”) and a wonderful sense of playfulness (“Nelly The Elephant” and “Fidgety Queen”). My reissue from Electic/Dream Nebula includes six alternate versions of Down To Earth songs and outtakes.

This is a preview of Nektar – Down To Earth review. Read the full post (133 words, 1 image, estimated 32 secs reading time)

Posted in CD and Record Reviews

Tags: albrighton, german band, magical mystery tour, nebula, nektar, prog rock

Mahogany Frog – DO5 review

December 22nd, 2008 1 Comment

$Mahogany Frog \"DO5\"$

Mahogany Frog are a four-piece progressive rock outfit from Winnipeg, Manitoba, composed of Graham Epp (keyboards, guitars, trumpets), Jesse Warkentin (guitars, keyboards), Scott Ellenberger (bass, keyboards, percussion, trumpets) and J.P. Perron (drums, electronics). Mahogany Frog’s most recent release, DO5 (Moonjune Records), is their fifth, and served as my introduction to the band. DO5 features nine instrumental tracks with a range of sounds from vintage to modern. Expect plenty of tube-y keyboards, processed guitars, sound samples and energy. Although Mahogany Frog’s music is definitely experimental, it isn’t self-obsessed or pretentious. Most important, it’s highly listenable. One of this quartet’s particular strengths is melody, even as multiple layers of sound stream from their instruments, the songs have structure and stick-in-your head lyricism. That’s a neat trick.

This is a preview of Mahogany Frog – DO5 review. Read the full post (418 words, 1 image, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

Posted in CD and Record Reviews

Tags: 2001 a space odyssey, frank zappa, gyorgi ligeti, hatfield and the north, mahogany frog, nektar, ozric tentacles, scott ellenberger, winnipeg manitoba

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