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Zen Rock & Roll Zita Swoon |
Zombi Zone Six |
Fabio Zuffanti/Victoria Heward |
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End of the Age (2002, 45.13) ***½Copernican PrincipleFrom Melting Made End of the Age |
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The Birthright Circle (2004, 45.24) ***ThanatosAnthem Richard Circle |
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Undone (2011, 39.10) ***All in the DarkAt the First Glance Undone Antiquated Love Song Strange Concerto for the Original Sinners Lament |
Current availability:
To be honest, Zen Rock & Roll's album sleeves almost brought on a bout of existential despair, so I'm pleased to be able to announce that their albums are actually pretty decent, if rather derivative. Essentially Jonathan Saunders' solo project, they sit firmly in the 'American prog' bracket, particularly when he sings (fair enough: he's American), his influences including Genesis, Yes and various other lesser-known '70s outfits, plus a largish dose of Spock's Beard for good measure. His debut, 2002's End of the Age, consists of three lengthy tracks, possibly too long for their content, although Saunders has a good stab at keeping his compositions interesting. Plenty of (fairly obviously) samplotron, with strings throughout, choirs on Copernican Principle and flutes on End Of The Age.
Two year on and The Birthright Circle goes more for the 'three short(er) and one side-long' layout, the shorter tracks veering slightly AORwards, unfortunately. Originality's still at a bit of a premium (Richard has a heavy Afterglow feel to it), while the twenty three-minute Circle is, again, rather too long for its significant content. Also once again, samplotron across the board, all the usual sounds in all the usual places.
I'm not the first to point out that Saunders' first album in seven years, 2011's Undone, features a sharp left-turn musically, being more progressive pop that 'prog' per se, although nothing here contains a strong enough hook to actually be a hit, in the unlikely event that it should be released as a single. Saying that, the material's mostly pretty good, probable highlight being the album's one 'real' prog track, fourteen-minute instrumental Concerto For The Original Sinners. Samplotron on about half the tracks, mostly strings with a little choir.
Zen Rock & Roll's albums all fit into different progressive sub-genres, making them difficult to categorise. Is this a good thing? Dunno, but I'm not sure how many listeners will like all three. I prefer End of the Age's more symphonic approach, but they all have their merits.
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I Paint Pictures on a Wedding Dress (1998, 52.38) ***½ |
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| She = Like Meeting Jesus Ragdoll Blues Still Half My Friend? The Rabbit Field Song for a Dead Singer One Perfect Day About the Successful Emotional Recovery of a Gal Named Maria |
Our Daily Reminders My Bond With You and Your Planet: Disco! Stamina 50 Years in Dope Jittery The French Trombone |
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dEUS collaborator Stef Kamil Carlens formed his own outfit in the mid-'90s, called Moondog Jr, although a legal dispute forced a name change to Zita Swoon after one album. It's difficult to describe the music on the Zitas' second album, I Paint Pictures on a Wedding Dress; think 'indie, but with plenty of variety and imagination', i.e. very little like any British bands falling into that category. The quality of the material is somewhat variable, although My Bond With You And Your Planet: Disco! raised a smile, while the slower tracks manage to be solemn without being over-gloomy.
Dieter tells me that a band member has assured him Carlens' 'Mellotron' is sampled; there's only one definite sighting, anyway: the flute part on Our Daily Reminders, which is as good as anyone else's Mellotron flute arrangements, and better than many, despite being fake. One track doth not a samplotron album make, though, so if their style doesn't sound like your bowl of gruel, best go elsewhere. Incidentally, I very much doubt if there's any 'Mellotron' on their debut release, Music Inspired By Sunrise, and there's definitely none on their third album, Life = a Sexy Sanctuary.
See: dEUS
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Surface to Air (2006, 44.18) ****Challenger DeepDigitalis Legacy Surface to Air Night Rhythms |
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Digitalis EP (2006, 18.36) ****DigitalisSiberia Sapphire |
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Spirit Animal (2009, 57.57) ***½Spirit AnimalSpirit Warrior Earthly Powers Cosmic Powers Through Time |
Current availability:
Zombi (named for the Dario Argento Goblin-soundtracked slasher flick) have a pretty unique setup: they're an instrumental drums/bass duo who both double extensively on analogue synths (hoorah!), sounding like a cross between Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Pink Floyd's rockier moments and above all, Rush. For the record, their gear list reads like this:
Their second album proper, 2006's 'vinyl-length' Surface to Air, is an adrenaline rush of growling synths and sequenced rhythms, all with a solid, über-technical rhythm section holding it down. The compositions are excellent and the synth sounds are phenomenal. It's difficult to pinpoint highpoints, as they're all high, but opener Challenger Deep shocks with its Signals-era polysynths, while 'side-long' epic Night Rhythms is pretty fab, too. They use fairly obviously sampled Mellotron on the latter piece, with string and choir parts here and there, but the album's chief thrust is its synth work; the 'Mellotron' sounds almost intrusive in such a synthetic world. The same year's Digitalis EP highlights three different sides of Zombi: the mid-paced title track sounds like the Tangs with drums and heavy 'Mellotron' strings, Siberia is an ominous, shifting piece based on huge slabs of pseudo-Mellotron choir, while Sapphire points the way the band would eventually head, with a dancier feel to the rhythm parts.
It took the duo three years to follow up with Spirit Animal and if there's a major change, it's not so much in the composition, but the textures: fewer polysynths, more samplotron. Is this a good thing? Not necessarily, I have to say; I feel the band work better with a more synthetic instrumental palette, so while the synths are all over the album, they don't hold sway over all as on Surface to Air. Maybe listening to these two albums one after the other wasn't a good idea; the shock value's gone, second time round, or is it that the band are a little less focussed? Hard to say, but somehow, while still damn' good, this doesn't seem to cut the mustard quite as well as its predecessor. The samplotron crops up on every track, to the point of overuse in places. Maybe it would work better if it were real? Don't know and I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
So; two very good albums (and an EP) full of beautiful analogue goodness. THIS, music world, is what you threw away when you embraced digital synthesis. Admittedly, these sounds aren't for everyone, but they are for me. Thank you, Zombi.
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Zone Six (1997, 59.30) ***/T |
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| Barbwired Box So Far Empty Faces Vacuum Three Elements Mindtrap #1 Dream Eyeland Her Smell Hasn't Left Me |
Bubble Trouble Mindtrap #2 Mindtrap #3 The Place Oh Mary |
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Zone Six are one of several bands led by German psychonaut Dave Schmidt, including Sula Bassana and Liquid Visions, and are as trippy as the best of them. Zone Six is an improvised album; would it be cruel of me to say, "And you can tell"? Full of Hans-Peter Ringholz' acid-drenched guitar leads and Jodi Barry's Gilli Smyth-style 'space whispers', it meanders along in a suitably stoned kind of way, occasionally hitting the spot, but too often not. To be honest, this is a bit hit-and-miss; Dream Eyeland is the semi-obligatory Ozrics-style festi-dub number, while The Place is a weird piano and vocal number that seems to have dropped in from another album. I know it's meant to be improvised, but it just ends up being all over the place.
Just one 'Mellotron' track, from Schmidt, with a strident string part towards the end of opener Barbwired Box. I've no idea why they didn't use their samples more extensively; they might've provided a bit of sorely-needed focus. Anyway, a very trippy album that may not grab you any more than it has me. Then again, it may. Not much samplotron, either way, so don't go buying it for that.
See: Liquid Visions | Sula Bassana
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Merlin: 'The Rock Opera' (2000, 89.09) *** |
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| Overture As it Was in the Beginning Winter Lament The Musician Arrives Tricked/Must You Leave So Soon? Free for Another The Wedding March Our Time is Now |
Fairies Dance Madman Sings Song for a New Day Merlin and Vivian Beyond the Nightmares How to Do the Sleeping Spell Gloria Blessed With Peace |
How Long Can She Wait? Uninvited Guest/The Last Battle Wait for the Golden Age |
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Bassist Fabio Zuffanti is possibly the major name on the Italian progressive scene at the moment, having fingers in many pies: Finisterre, Höstsonaten, La Maschera di Cera... Basically, the cream of Italian prog in the new millennium, although I'm not entirely convinced you can add Merlin: 'The Rock Opera' to that list. In fairness, this double CD does exactly what it says on the tin; it's a rock opera, complete with eight different singers taking roles, sounding like a rather more acceptable version of those rubbishy Andrew Lloyd-Webber productions with which we've been cursed for the last few decades. It's a straight collaboration between Zuffanti and Victoria Heward, a British poet, who wrote the English-language libretto, with which the Italian cast cope admirably well, giving the impression of an updated version of Puccini, or similar.
Zuffanti collaborator Agostino Macor plays keys throughout, including sampled 'Tron, although it tends to get lost in amongst the swathes of digital 'boards; it certainly isn't at the front of the mix, but then, this is a vocal album above all, with the music relegated to second place, at least to my ears. All highlighted tracks above feature 'Mellotron' strings, although it's possible there's a bit of choir here and there, too, though it really is hard to tell.
I'm not sure exactly to whom I should be trying to recommend this album; some prog fans, notably those into bombastic neo- stuff (Ayreon, anything involving Clive Nolan), may delight in its OTT-ness, but the 'traditional' progressive audience may be horrified by its associations with West End/Broadway musicals, although I'm sure it'll make a spectacular stage show. Anyway, very little audible samplotron, so please don't bother on that account.
See: Fabio Zuffanti | Finisterre | Höstsonaten | La Maschera di Cera
