Transatlantic - SMPTe. 2000 InsideOut (CD). Transatlantic were one of those prog supergroups that were quite popular in the late 90s and throughout the 2000 decade. This was their debut and they still get together on occasion and release new material. I never bothered with any of these acts real time, so the thrift shop is coming in real handy to see what I missed. This collective brings key players from Dream Theater, Marillion, Spock's Beard, and The Flower Kings / Kaipa. So the band moniker is accurate. Not surprisingly the album opens up with a six part, 31 minute opus. They were absolutely going for prog street cred here. Opening impressions is that one hears retro prog, especially classic Yes, mixed in with the modern variation of said sound. Spock's Beard and The Flower Kings do seem to be the leading lights if looking for quick comparisons. Instrumentally the music is fantastic. Some of the vocals sections drag, especially when in chorus mode. The latter being the Neil Morse annoyance contribution. It would be easy to be cynical about such a release, especially coming from a hardcore underground perspective. But that's not fair at all, as these guys put together a very fine, professional release. One that clearly was carefully composed, rehearsed, and recorded. That doesn't mean this album is for me, however. There's something very contrived about it, and lacks that emotional and creative spark we get from the amateurs. But for those who are into "names", you really can't go wrong here. (10/23)
Family - Anyway. 1971 United Artists (LP). The story goes that Family weren't satisfied with their last studio album - failing to capture the band at their finest (a familiar argument). So for Anyway they split the album as half live and half studio even though it's all new material. The live side isn't recorded very well so that doesn't help. The other issue here is the tracks sort of fly by without notice. There's really not much that stands out - whether it's a memorable tune or a mind bending instrumental passage. I'm sticking Anyway in the prog section as I'm not really sure where else to put them. Maybe classic rock would have been better, though that's not their reputation. On the plus side, this album did reignite my interest in the band. I do have a couple of their albums already on CD, and now I picked up one of their recognized classics on LP. A feature may be coming soon (nope) (6/16).
Mother Black Cap - The English Way. 2009 Cyclops (Bandcamp). To be honest I didn't get too much out of this release. Mostly I heard broad stroke Pink Floyd styled art rock. Post Animals style. Which isn't really my brand of progressive rock. For their part the band points their references to the melodic 70s classics such as Camel and Focus. And they like the "twiddly prog bits". All of which I heard very little of. The primary exception being track 4. Up for hearing more from this lot, and they're still active. This wasn't my album though. (4/20)
*Steve Hackett - Clocks. 1979 Charisma (EP). The title track, coming from Spectral Mornings, is a super version featuring Novatron. You'll recognize many of the Genesis themes on 'Acoustic Set' utilizing only acoustic guitar and flute, and which seemingly has as much applause as music. 'Tigermoth' also comes from Spectral Mornings and is another fantastic rendition with heavy Moog, flute, and electric guitar. The last hurrah for Genesis and prog music. Have to keep this. Oh great - EP's as large as LPs and looking to downsize. (2/2)
Discus - ...Tot Licht! 2003 Gohan (CD). Collection revisit. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you combined prog metal, avant prog, and 80s Japanese symphonic prog with female vocals? Yea, I hadn't really given that one much thought either. But if I did, Discus' second album would be the answer. Discus demonstrates a complete lack of focus and decides to give you as much progressive rock ideas as they can come up with on the fly. Genre hopping within the prog world was somewhat popular in the 2000s, and Indonesia's Discus were one of the leading lights, obscure as they may have been (though they did play live in North Carolina). Interesting that they also appear to be very religious, both Christian and Muslim together. In any case, a fascinating listen, but I don't feel albums like this. A familiar theme: Appreciation doesn't always translate to excitement. This version has a six minute bonus track. (1/6)
* - keeping for the collection
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