|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
ARC Abiogenesi Absu Acuity Ad Infinitum |
Ageness Agents of Mercy AirSculpture Albright |
All Night Radio All Over Everywhere Lily Allen Andi Almqvist |
Alon Alpha Altar of Oblivion Amarok |
 |
Radio Sputnik (2000, 66.38) ***½SteamTransmit 1 Radio Sputnik Who Walks Behind You Octane Transmit Arc-Angel Relay |
Current availability:
ARC are two of the UK's most renowned synthesists, Ian Boddy and Mark Shreeve, both known for their multitudinous solo albums, not to mention their other projects. I believe 2000's live Radio Sputnik is their second joint release, a darker and less generic record than those by many of their contemporaries, with more experimental use of their instruments that the usual 'make 'em sound like The Tangs' approach. As with most such, it's difficult to pinpoint individual highlights, but the overall effect is certainly more inventive than some I could name (but shan't).
One or the other (or both?) of these gentlemen add Mellotron samples to most tracks, with choirs and strings all over the place, to generally pleasing effect, albeit a slightly ersatz one (note the obligatory German term thrown in there). OK, it's basically 'just another EM album', but it's a good one.
See: Redshift | Reuter/Boddy
 |
Le Notti di Salem (2000, 48.08) ***½WarningA Salem Echi Nel Buio Abiogenesi 3 Nuove Stelle Mr. Clive E Dr. Jones Similia Similibus Curentur Z.A.W. (Zombie Abiogenetic War) I Warned You |
Current availability:
Abiogenesi are on Italy's Black Widow label, which tells you everything you need to know about them if you're au fait with the scene: early '70s-inspired, organ- and guitar-heavy hard rock/prog, no modern rubbish. Despite a few weak moments, their third album, 2000's Le Notti di Salem, is an enjoyable listen for those into the style, although little of its material really stands out. It's notable for a guest appearance by flautist Clive Jones from the original Black Widow, which could be construed as completing the circle, I suppose. Best tracks? Maybe Similia Similibus Curentur and Z.A.W. (Zombie Abiogenetic War), but there's nothing here that offends.
Marco Cimino's credited with Mellotron, but I'll be amazed if it turns out to be real, although it's not as obviously sampled as many of the efforts in this part of the site. There's nothing on the first several tracks, but then we get murky choirs on Mr. Clive E Dr. Jones, similarly iffy strings on Similia Similibus Curentur and Z.A.W. (Zombie Abiogenetic War) and flutes here and there that pretty much merge with the real one on offer.
Overall, then, a decent enough effort from a band who only record occasionally, with a few tracks of (probably) sampled 'Tron. Fans of Black Widow, Uriah Heep et al. should almost certainly give this lot a listen.
 |
Absu (2009, 53.41) *** |
|
| Between the Absu of Eridu & Erech Night Fire Canonization Amy Nunbarshegunu 13 Globes ...Of the Dead Who Never Rest in Their Tombs Are the Attendance of Familiar Spirits... a) Diversified Signs Inscribed b) Our Earth of Black c) Voor |
Magic(k) Square Cipher In the Name of Auebothiabathabaithobeuee Girra's Temple Those of the Void Will Re-Enter Sceptre Command Ye Uttuku Spells Twix Yesterday, the Day & the Morrow |
|
 |
Abzu (2011, 35.55) *** |
|
| Earth Ripper Circles of the Oath Abraxas Connexus Skrying in the Spirit Vision Ontologically, it Became Time & Space |
A Song for Ea (a) E-A (b) A Myriad of Portals (c) Third Tablet (d) Warren of Imhullu (e) The Waters - The Denizens (f) E-A (Reprise) |
|
Current availability:
Texans Absu play what they term 'mythological occult metal', somewhere between the death, black and thrash sub-genres (no, I'm not making this stuff up); my nephew (hi, Gabe) loves this lot, so I can't be too harsh. 2009's Absu (actually their seventh album) is, to my surprise, highly competent, despite the silly vocals, with supremely tight playing and reasonably inventive riffery all round, although I wouldn't go as far as to single out any particular tracks for praise. Drummer/mainman Proscriptor owns up to using sampled Mellotron, with string parts on a few tracks, although they're not exactly a defining feature of the album. To be honest, I could've done with this being a little shorter, but that's just selfishness on my part; I'm sure their fans are happy to listen to fifty-odd minutes of Absu in one go.
Two years on and Abzu is, basically, more of the same, guaranteed to keep the band's fans happy and to bore the rest of us rigid. In fairness, it's a good bit shorter than its predecessor and manages a degree of musical variation, the fourteen-minute, six-part A Song For Ea being about the most listenable thing here. Samplotron strings, flutes and choirs scattered across its length, used with surprising subtlety.
So; not my bag, but good at it anyway.
See: Proscriptor
 |
Skyward (2004, 67.56) *** |
|
| Vector State of the Art Love Song Transcendence (Culture of Hospice) Milwaukee Tick Not One of My Better Days The Milwaukee Song Tock Pages That's Entertainment |
Shit-Eating Grin Titan Olympus Rising/Denouement Cul-de-Sacs of Venus Voyager Curvature Skyward Go Forth, Son of Mother Earth Ever Weightless (including The Cosmic Waltz) |
|
Current availability:
Acuity are not so much a band as a solo project; Bradley Styles plays and sings almost everything on his debut, Skyward, with the exception of a violin solo by Matthew Parmenter, ex-Discipline. Styles' talents vary in different areas, from perfectly good guitar, bass and keyboard work to so-so drumming and, to be honest, pretty poor vocals. The album draws heavily on the progressive metal genre, although it reminds the listener of Rush and their ilk in places, too, particularly on one of the album's finest moments, the closing riff in Voyager. Unfortunately, Styles' ambitions rather outweigh his talents, with whole sections that, if excised, would actually improve the album. Like many similar efforts, it's also far too long, and should probably have been capped somewhere in the three quarter-hour zone.
There's no 'Tron input until track three, Milwaukee, and it sounds OK until a high-speed flute part suddenly cuts in, obviously sequenced. In other words... Clearly samples. Unlike many similar efforts, Styles doesn't over-use them, and plays them sympathetically, making them sound pretty authentic in the mix. The usual strings and choir can also be heard on Cul-De-Sacs Of Venus (alongside Parmenter's contribution) and Voyager, particularly nicely on the former, possibly the best piece on the album. In fact, it's a shame Styles feels he has to riff so hard so often, as his compositional talents seem to lie more in the progressive area. Sorry to be so hard on this album, as he's obviously operating on a tight budget, but listening to less Dream Theater would improve his style no end, as would a healthy dose of self-editing.
 |
Ad Infinitum (1998, 77.34) **½ |
|
| Ad Infinitum Immortality Waterline Physician Heal Thyself A Winter's Tale Rain Down Overland All Hallows Eve |
Neither Here Nor There Ad Infinitum (Reprise) |
|
Current availability:
Ad Infinitum's sole, eponymous album, was one of US neo- kings Kinesis' last releases, and fits firmly into the label's standard remit, being unimaginative, by-numbers neo-prog, although not as bad as some I've heard, chiefly other albums on Kinesis. In fairness, they do try to be interesting, but there are far too many bland, bog-standard chord sequences played for several minutes on end to actually hold the attention of the discerning prog fan for long. Then there's Todd Braverman's voice... I'm not exaggerating when I say that it's the chief reason I couldn't listen to this album in one sitting. His strained, whiny tones grate on the (or at least my) ear, and when combined with lyrics like, "Awaken in a mystic land/beyond the edge of time." Ouch... Fewer histrionics might've been nice, Mr.Braverman. Anyway, All Hallows Eve is about the best thing here, sounding an awful lot like (guess who) early Genesis, right down to Braverman's cod-Gabriel tones.
The band's one real coup was to secure the services of a little-known British illustrator by the name of Roger Dean to paint them a typically-Deanlike cover; the end result looks a bit like one of his backgrounds before he does something interesting to it, and was probably knocked out on a rainy Sunday afternoon, in the knowledge that the band would be ecstatic with almost anything he chose to throw at them. I'm reminded of Paul Whitehead's recent work (Submarine Silence, Colossus/Musea's Colossus of Rhodes project), where pale shadows of his early-'70s covers are treated like the second coming.
To clear up a persistent misunderstanding, there is NO Mellotron on this album. OK, I know the thanks list says, "Jim Rezek of Iluvatar for the Mellotron M400", but I've no idea why, as upon close scrutiny of the equipment list, despite several bits of decent vintage kit (Prophet, ARP Pro-Soloist, MiniMoog, Taurus), there's no mention of either a Hammond or a Mellotron, but every mention of the E-mu Vintage Keys and a Roland JV-1080 with both vintage synth cards. These are quite clearly what can be heard on a few tracks; in fact, I don't think Braverman or Ilan Goldman use anything other than the E-mu module, as the 'Mellotron' sounds have that awful murky, muted sound to them that seems to be the hallmark of those particular samples. So no, no 'Tron, just some highly unimaginative sample use.
So; do you buy Ad Infinitum? No. It's overlong, boring, and the singer makes me want to hit him. Fairly grotty sampled 'Tron, too.
 |
Imageness (1998, 52.57) ** |
|
| Line of Force Fear Chain Reaction Metamorphosis Sequels (the Feast of Fools) i. High on the Cloud ii. Shadowplay iii. Philandering iv. Royal Flush |
v. Do the Chase vi. The Way vii. Out! iix. Second Line of Force xi. Final Clause x. Imagenesia |
|
Current availability:
Ageness are a Finnish neo-prog troupe who rose from the ashes of terrible '80s outfit Scarab, whose sole album should be avoided at all costs. Ageness' third album in this formation, 1998's Imageness, is a thoroughly clichéd neo- effort, touchstones including Genesis (assuming they couldn't write), Rush (assuming they couldn't play) and Asia, particularly in the awful, parpy synth parts splattered all over the album. Their worst crime, though, is the ten-part, twenty-six minute Sequels (The Feast Of Fools) that closes the record, almost a redefinition of the word 'hubris', the band massively overreaching and falling flat on their faces, that level of composition being way beyond their abilities. Prog/AOR epic, anyone? Thought not. Incidentally, I'm quite sure that at one point, I heard the lyrics, "The Jews of Kensal Green". What?
Vocalist/keys man Tommy Eriksson adds sampled Mellotron choir to Chain Reaction, Metamorphosis and Sequels, plus strings on the last-named. I'm struggling to think of anything nice to say about this album. It could've been longer? Eriksson's vocals could've been even worse? The keyboard sounds could've been nastier? No, scrap that one. Sorry, but this is a bloated, cheesy mess; if you love intricate, well-composed progressive rock, I can only advise you to go elsewhere.
 |
The Fading Ghosts of Twilight (2009, 77.44) *** |
|
| The Fading Ghosts of Twilight The Unwanted Brother Afternoon Skies Heroes & Beacons Jesus on the Barracades Wait for the Sun A Different Sun Ready to Fly |
People Like Us A Soldiers Tale Bomb Inside Her Heart Mercy & Mercury |
|
 |
DramaRama (2010, 71.22) *** |
|
| The Duke of Sadness Last Few Grains of Hope Peace United Journey Gratitude Meet Johnnie Walker Cinnamon Tree The Ballad of Mary Chilton |
Roger the Tailor Conspiracy We Have Been Freed Time |
|
 |
The Black Forest (2011, 56.00) **½The Black ForestA Quiet Little Town Black Sunday Elegy Citadel Between Sun & Moon Freak of Life Kingdom of Heaven |
Current availability:
Apparently, Agents of Mercy were originally intended to be The Flower Kings' Roine Stolt's acoustic project, until he teamed up with Unifaun's vocalist Nad Sylvan, at which point it became a more typical Flower Kings-type outfit. Is that a good thing? All depends on how you feel about The Flower Kings, I suppose; I'm of the opinion that there's already far too much music about that sounds just like this, but then, I'm an old cynic. They have loads of fans who hang on their every utterance, so what do I know?
Actually, I know that I didn't really need to hear their debut, 2009's The Fading Ghosts of Twilight, but there you go. Aside from the vocals (and then not that much), it just sounds like another TFK-esque band, all of Stolt's usual harmonic quirks present and correct, not to mention their propensity for ludicrously overlong albums; almost eighty minutes in this case. Oh well, look on the bright side; it could've been a two-discer. It's not exactly the most original thing around, either; the title track rips off Genesis' Broadway Melody Of 1974 horribly - did they think no-one would notice? There's another Lamb... cop on Wait For The Sun, but I'm still trying to place it, while Ready To Fly has more than a hint of Jethro Tull about it, which at least makes a change from the usual suspects. Biggo Zelfries is credited with 'Mellotron', strings and choirs all over the place, yet never sounding quite right, for the obvious good reason.
Wasting no time, the combo released DramaRama the following year, a slightly more diverse album, taking in influences from psych and glam, alongside the ubiquitous prog. We get more Genesis and Tull 'borrowings' on opener The Duke Of Sadness, with paeans to a well-known brand of whisky (Meet Johnnie Walker) and (I presume) Queen (Roger The Tailor), amongst the lyrical witticisms on offer. Incidentally, I'm sure I spotted the line, "Your own special way", on Conspiracy. Deliberate? Sylvan and Lalle Larsson play keys, including the usual samplotron stuff, particularly noticeable in a couple of places.
2011's The Black Forest, allied with a suspicious lack of activity on the Flower Kings front, begins to make it look possible/likely that Stolt has grown tired of his re-entrée into the prog arena and is more enamoured with his current side-project these days. Or not? Either way, it's the most TFK-sounding album they've yet made, losing most of its immediate predecessor's mild eclecticism and committing the unforgivable (but all too TFK-familiar) crime of being boring. Unlike the band's first two releases, I'm having trouble thinking of anything much to say about this at all, as nothing about it actually stands out in any way. Samplotron here and there, but it's just another soundset in the band's large palette, rather than something that leaps out at you. Oh well, at least it's shorter.
Do you buy anything by Agents of Mercy? Do you like The Flower Kings? It pretty much is that simple; they're not a total copy, but Stolt's overriding influence makes it a near run thing.
See: Roine Stolt | The Flower Kings | Karmakanic
 |
Europa (1997, 73.46) ***½Part 1Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 |
 |
Thunderhead (1998, 74.43) ***½Dark DesignAerostatic Polarvoid Pogofish Thunderhead |
 |
TranceAtlantic (2005, 129.55) ***½Walk the Locust (Part 1)Walk the Locust (Part 2) Walk the Locust (Part 3) TranceAtlantic (Part 1) TranceAtlantic (Part 2) TranceAtlantic (Part 3) |
 |
Before the Moon (2006, 112.59) ***La Gomera Concert Pt. 1La Gomera Concert Pt. 2 |
 |
Trick or Treat? (2009, 59.29) ***½Trick or Treat? |
Current availability:
AirSculpture are a British 'Berlin School' EM trio (and onetime Mellotron owners), whose work, like that of (presumably) friendly rivals r.m.i., is largely based around improvisation, analogue sequencers reprogrammed on the fly to keep the music dynamic. I believe 1997's Europa (recorded at that year's Alpha-Centauri festival in Amsterdam) is their third album 'proper', a fluid set of fairly typical EM including two twenty minute-plus tracks, containing all the usual features. The band's (presumed) samplotron use is low compared to other similar outfits, with choir and strings during the second half of Europa Part 1, flutes in the latter half of the lengthy Part 3 and more choirs in Part 5.
Their next release, the following year's Thunderhead, is a studio recording, consisting of improv pieces 'with some minor overdubs and editing', which sounds like a sensible way to tackle this very singular genre. It seems to concentrate more on rhythm than its predecessor, although one track (Pogofish) eschews the sequencers completely. The album's only (again presumed) samplotron use is a flute part a few minutes into the half-hour title track, with sporadic reiterations throughout, plus choirs about halfway through. From some years later, 2005's double-disc TranceAtlantic shows us another side of AirSculpture, as Walk The Locust and the disc-long title track both open with some highly competent piano work, proving that the band aren't merely your common-or-garden modular synth jockeys, while the full-on train sound effect madness in Walk The Locust Part 2 shows an inventive side to the band missing from many of their contemporaries. Not a great deal of samplotron, but the trio seem to ration it out carefully.
2006's Before the Moon, documenting their set from La Gomera, seems to be available in two different versions; I believe the two-disc one-track-per-disc one is the original release. Part 1 is pretty much what you'd expect, but somewhere around the forty-five minute mark on Part 2, the piece devolves to a sequenced kick drum, which builds up into nearly twenty minutes of dance-influenced EM. The band cheerfully admit to straying into dance territory occasionally and they're not lying, although this particular (probably somewhat hidebound) listener could've done without it. in nearly two hours, the only samplotronic intervention is a flute part some twenty-eight minutes into Part 2, which, given how little of the total length it inhabits, would rate a mere half T were it applicable.
2009's Trick or Treat? consists of just one, hour-long track, starting off in ambient mode, before they pick the pace up about a third of the way through. Incidentally, this lot are serious about their improvising; watch for the bum note in the 44th minute. No samplotron whatsoever until after said bum note, with choir and string parts towards the end of the piece. As so often, though, you really have to be a serious fan of this stuff to tell most of it apart; while a perfectly competent release, this has trouble standing out from the pack.
AirSculpture make no pretence at being anything other than what they are: a Berlin School EM outfit, albeit one with a slightly broader palette than many. EM will/already do love this, the rest of you will probably scratch your heads in bemusement.
See: AirSculpture
 |
Sunny One Day (2007, 77.49) *½ |
|
| Dunno' What Tainted Love Can Turn You Around In Between Worlds It's Alright Oh Baby Sunny One Day He Who Knows |
Ghettoland Love You Heroin' Searchin' Faith Fadin' Out |
|
Current availability:
Vivian Sessoms is a world-renowned backing vocalist, having worked with the likes of Ryuchi Sakamoto, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, while Chris Parks has produced many r'n'b artists and created music for games, amongst other entries on his résumé. The duo released 2007's Sunny One Day under the Albright moniker, an immensely proficient, yet simultaneously immensely tedious effort, full of workaday, by-numbers 'urban' nonsense, mostly a good two minutes longer than their content really warrants, the disc outliving its usefulness by a factor of at least two. Worst track? Probably the truly dismal reworking of Tainted Love, retitled Tainted, while the funky Ghettoland and Heroin' are about the best things here, although that really isn't much of a recommendation.
Sessoms is credited with Mellotron, with nothing obvious until Heroin', when the sample game is well and truly given away by her use of the MkII 'moving strings', which effectively nails her use down to the M-Tron sample set, while the muffled choirs on Searchin' and strings on closer Fadin' Out could hopefully never have emulated from a real machine. Sometimes there's a reason for sidemen/women to be in that position. Stick with what you're good at, guys.
 |
Spirit Stereo Frequency (2004, 42.10) ***½ |
|
| Daylight Till Dawn We're on Our Wave Fall Down 7 You'll Be on Your Own Sky Bicycle Oh, When Sad K. Anchovya Suite |
Winter Light All Night Radio |
|
Current availability:
All Night Radio are the ex-Beachwood Sparks duo of Dave Scher and Jimi Hey, who've ditched the rump Americana of the last Beachwood release to go fully psychedelic on 2004's Spirit Stereo Frequency. Of course, the usual caveat applies; such a lysergically-inspired album can only sound like pastiche, unless the participants are preternaturally talented and/or inspired. The standard end result is an interesting, fun album with not a shred of originality in its digital grooves, and so it proves here. Opener Daylight Till Dawn rips off the riff from Crimson's The Court Of The Crimson King something rotten, although that's probably the most modern reference on the record, the rest of it sitting firmly in the 1966-67 bracket. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, just not a very original one.
Somebody plays something vaguely Mellotronic across much of the album, but I'm quite sure it's sampled, going by some of the higher notes, not to mention a lack of any specific credit (most artists these days boast about using real tape-replay). Which, of course, brings up the issue of whether or not Beachwood Sparks used a real one? Probably not, but it sounds less fake than here... Anyway, not-particularly Mellotronic strings on around half the tracks, notably the solo part on the intro to Anchovya Suite, plus what might be fakeotron flutes in places, though it's hard to tell. Overall, then, a good if highly derivative album, with plenty of sampled Mellotron, although the pair sadly packed it in later the same year. Now, about those Beachwood albums, chaps...
See: Beachwood Sparks
 |
Inner Firmaments Decay (2010, 42.09) ***Art of the EarthEndless Night The Shroud Honesty After All the Years On a Dark Street Until the Sun Begins to Fall Gratitude |
Current availability:
All Over Everywhere are another Dan Britton (Deluge Grander, Birds & Buildings) project; while still loosely 'progressive', 2010's Inner Firmaments Decay is as much post-rock as prog, containing some acreage of drifting, occasionally dissonant warblings, with female vocals for good measure. Saying that, Endless Night has a folky feel to it, while On A Dark Street is almost pop/prog/post-rock, if you can imagine that particular genre-clash, although the highpoint is probably ten-minute closer Gratitude, the nearest the album gets to full-on prog.
'Mellotron' strings on several tracks, notably The Shroud and Gratitude, although more generic string and organ sounds seem to be the album's keyboard mainstay. Overall, a decent album of its type, assuming you can actually identify its 'type'; prog fans will go for some of it, though probably not all.
See: Deluge Grander | Birds & Buildings
 |
It's Not Me, it's You (2009, 42.40) *** |
|
| Everyone's at it The Fear Not Fair 22 I Could Say Back to the Start Never Gonna Happen Fuck You |
Who'd Have Known Chinese Him He Wasn't There |
|
Current availability:
Lily bleedin' Allen? Daughter of Keith bleedin' Allen? On Planet Mellotron? After her ubiquitous debut, 2006's irritating Alright, Still (find it in a charity shop near you), her second album, It's Not Me, it's You, is actually (wait for it) not that bad. Going by the standards of mainstream pop, of course. The music is essentially composed and played by producer Greg Kurstin, with Allen apparently 'singling along' to his creations, the end result being surprisingly cohesive; that'll be professional producers for you, then. Allen's mockney (mock Cockney, for non-Brits) has become more than a little tiresome, especially as she's known to have attended a series of public schools (i.e. private, for non-Brits again), despite her protestations that she grew up in a 'working-class environment'. Well, I'm sure your parents worked, dear. In fact, I know they did; I saw your dad in a production at the National.
So what's the music actually like, I hear you cry (albeit faintly). Well, it ain't bloody R&B, which is a blessed relief after some of the unmitigated crap I've listened to recently. 'Mainstream pop with vaguely interesting bits thrown in' is probably the best I can do. Allen's voice is ridiculously close-up and high in the mix; she's very much the selling-point here, and her record company clearly want her to be heard. Opener Everyone's At It features some interesting backwards electronica, Not Fair, with its uncomprehending, self-centred lyric dealing unsympathetically with the topic of premature ejaculation (It's not fair! Wah wah wah!) samples a talented banjoist for its unusual rave/country mix, Never Gonna Happen's French accordion raises eyebrows, while Fuck You is almost swing.
Lyrically, Allen is actually pretty talented (he says through gritted teeth), commenting dryly on what it means to be young these days (OK, young and wealthy. Whatever), tackling drug use (Everyone's At It), going-nowhere relationships (Never Gonna Happen) her dad (He Wasn't There) and even racism and loathsome politicians (Fuck You, Him), making vague amends for Not Fair. Best track? Fuck You has the best music and lyrics on the record, actually making me laugh out loud, and not just for its contentious title and chorus. Kurstin adds Mellotron string samples to I Could Say, or at least, they sound like samples. I could be wrong (as usual), but I'm probably not... Anyway, to my great surprise, a superior pop album, with some genuine lyrical insight, certainly compared to the industry's usual banalities.
 |
Glimmer (2009, 44.54) ***½ |
|
| Sleeping Pills She Lost the Sea But Found the Ocean Hyena Amsterdam Death My Birthday, the Moon Festival Krautobahn Merlin Hotel |
Ich Geh' Mit Meiner Laterne Krumlov Pavla Sobsister Petra Moved on |
|
Current availability:
Andi Almqvist is a Swedish singer-songwriter whose work tends towards the gloomier end of the spectrum, which is good news for everyone who's sick of lightweight, glossy American types with perfect teeth and an ear for an overly catchy tune. Almqvist's third album, 2009's Glimmer, almost sounds like a mainstream, cleaned-up Tom Waits in places, if you replaced the battered 1920s instrumentation with something a little more, er, normal. Top tracks include She Lost The Sea But Found The Ocean, the amusing Krautobahn and closer Petra Moved On, but nothing here made this listener reach for the 'next' button. But what's with the 'fairground' sample from Queen's Brighton Rock on Ich Geh' Mit Meiner Laterne (and not for the first time, eh, Galactic Cowboys?)?
Almqvist, Carl Granberg and Bebe Risenfors are all credited with Mellotron, but its veracity is given away immediately, as almost the first sound you hear on opener Sleeping Pills is the MkII 'moving strings', seemingly becoming something of a favourite with many M-Tron users. The track also features queasy, slowly pitchbent strings, flutes and even vibes and while there's nothing obvious on She Lost The Sea But Found The Ocean, it sounds like bass accordion (?) on Death. So; a surprisingly listenable effort from an artist who didn't look too promising at first glance, despite obviously sampled Mellotron.
 |
CDS (2005) ***½ Time Will Tell (Radio Mix Edition) Time Will Tell |
Current availability:
Alon produces an interestingly arty type of laid-back pop; an American Coldplay with less angst, maybe? Going by his current press release, he seems to be aligning himself with the US progressive scene, strangely, and is actually going to appear at NEARfest 2005. Anyway, Time Will Tell is a taster for his forthcoming album, The Artist Manifesto: Document 1, and despite having been fairly obviously Pro-Tooled into oblivion, actually features real playing from real musicians, with largish helpings of acoustic guitar, real drums etc., along with the ubiquitous programmed variety. Alon's voice is quite affecting, too, and if all his material is up to this standard, and if the world were a fairer place, he'd stand as good a chance as any of invading bedsitland over the coming months, which is where his loyalties should really lie, I suspect.
Rather than the usual 'cheats', Alon openly credits himself with 'M-Tron', and indeed, 'Tron strings are splashed all over the single in a fairly pleasing manner. Of course, the rise of computer-based Mellotron sample packages means that you no longer even have to make the effort to buy a module containing said sounds, and it seems there's been an explosion in their use recently. You can just about tell the 'Tron here isn't real (too clean and even), but a well-maintained machine wouldn't sound that different, making 'Tron-spotting an increasingly difficult game, so thank you Alon for coming clean.
If the album's up to the quality of the single, and if Coldplay/'art-rock' are your bag, you could do a great deal worse than to invest in The Artist Manifesto: Document 1, although a less pretentious title might've been welcome.
 |
The Impossible Thrill (2001, 50.55) *** |
|
| Still Eon Dim South Almost Wise Especial Wishes |
Clear Sky Al Sation Fort |
|
Current availability:
Alpha are one of a number of second-division trip-hop outfits, and yes, they're from the Bristol area. The Impossible Thrill is their second album proper, following 1997's ComeFromHeaven and a remix set, '98's Pepper, and it fits fairly neatly into the quiet, low-fi end of the genre, eschewing overt beats for orchestration and melancholy. But is it any good? Matter of opinion, I suppose, as always; plenty of 'Net reviewers have gone ga-ga over it, but it left me pretty cold, but what do I know?
Nicely done 'Mellotron' flutes on Al Sation from an unknown player, but with no obvious references to the machine and the sound's overly-pristine quality, I strongly suspect samples. This is the sort of album you want on in the background while being miserable, like a rhythmless Portishead, but don't come here looking for musical innovation; this is indie, just quiet indie.
 |
Sinews of Anguish (2009, 58.14) **½The Final PledgeWrapped in Ruins Behind the Veil of Nights My Pinnacle of Power A Retreat Into Delusions Casus Belli Stainless Steel Sinews of Anguish |
Current availability:
As you might have guessed, Altar of Oblivion are a Danish metal band (sub-species unknown. Power?), whose near-hour long debut, Sinews of Anguish (stop laughing) is an interminable dirge of pointlessly over-stretched material, like Manowar on mogadons. The vocals are ridiculously portentous and overblown, though at least we're spared loads of widdly guitar, largely because the guitarist doesn't sound like he's up to it, I suspect, rather than for reasons of taste.
Although now ex-drummer Lars Ström is credited with Mellotron, it all sounds decidedly fake to me. Strings on a few tracks with extra cellos on My Pinnacle Of Power, and possibly choirs here and there, plus what sounds like quite generic string patches in places. Unless you're a metal must-have, I really wouldn't bother with this, and certainly not for the 'Mellotron'.
 |
Tierra de Especias (2000, 53.19) **** |
|
| Dioses El Torrent de Colobres M'Gour Chenini El Caramillo del Alba Naki Naki Els Millors Bufons El Sran Bazar |
Danza de Samotracia Azabel Cuentacuentos |
|
 |
Mujer Luna (2002, 51.49) ****Mujer LunaEn el Parque Arabesca en 4 Mov. Sueño Sueños Duo Para Tabla y Saz N.1 Nana Para el Hijo de la Tierra Donde Estas Mi Amor Tierra Austral Donde Estas Mi Amor (Conclusion) |
 |
Quentadharkën (2004, 71.17) ***½ |
|
| Hsieh La Ultima Expedicion Encantamiento Tierra Boreal La Espiral Alumbrado Quentadharkën Los Origenes Los Hechos |
La Batalla Final Coda Labirintos de Piedra Bocins de l'Emporda Venus Antigua Amos del Aire |
|
 |
Sol de Medianoche (2007, 57.00) **** |
|
| Sephiroth Hermits Xiöngmao I Wendigo Duet for Hang and Bass Mama Todorka Ishak the Fisherman Eight Touts |
Midnight Sun Xiöngmao II [Abaddon's Bolero] |
|
Current availability:
Amarok (the Inuit word for 'wolf', also used as an album title by Mike Oldfield) are an extremely pleasant surprise; a modern progressive band who don't sound like either a poor cousin of Arena or an unholy cross between Dream Theater and Spock's Beard. They mix old-school symphonic progressive rock with Spanish and 'World' influences, incorporating any number of unusual acoustic instruments (saz, dulcimer, kalimba, and many neither you nor I have ever heard of) into their sound, making for a wonderful hybrid of prog and folk, sounding like no-one else. They are apparently heavily into the environment, going as far as to record 2000's Tierra de Especias (their fourth album overall) entirely using solar power. That album and its follow-up, 2002's Mujer Luna, are recommended to everyone looking for something a little different in their prog, with great material and a genuinely original sound. Sadly, their latest release reviewed here, 2004's Quentadharkën, is also their weakest, suffering from the twin handicaps of over-length and not enough top-notch material, leading them to even include a brief and unnecessary drum solo in the rather average Labirintos De Piedra, but is still worth hearing compared to the bulk of the current scene.
2007's Sol de Medianoche is a step back in the right direction; not short, but rather shorter than its less illustrious predecessor. Top tracks include opener Sephiroth, the Chinese-flavoured Xiöngmao I and the lengthy Midnight Sun, while, instrumentally, the hammer dulcimer section on Ishak The Fisherman is especially noteworthy. Samplotron strings on strings on opener Sephiroth, Wendigo, Ishak The Fisherman and Midnight Sun, but as usual, it's a minor player in their instrumental palette.
All of these albums feature sampled 'Tron, far too 'smooth' to be the real thing; listen to Tierra Boreal from Quentadharkën to hear a classic example of 'stretched' choir. None of them over-use it, which is good to hear, compared with any number of bands I've heard slathering samples over their album like an overly-thick layer of cheap margarine on a horrid white-bread sandwich. Individual performances are sort of irrelevant; suffice to say, they're used with taste throughout, in keeping with the excellent music.
