The Muffins - Manna/Mirage. 1978 USA-Maryland

Here's what I said about my thoughts on The Muffins from the Open City review: "For my tastes, The Muffins are an entirely frustrating band. Their best work IMO is the archival material pre-1978, which is heavily influenced by the Canterbury movement, and is mostly represented on the fantastic Chronometers CD that came out some 17 years after the fact. The Muffins proper debut, Manna/Mirage, is an album of contrasts mixing lucidly composed, highly melodic, jazz rock tracks - with some of the most annoying tuneless/structureless improvisations ever put to vinyl. In effect, The Muffins moved from Soft Machine II to Henry Cow's In Praise of Learning."

Like with Def Leppard's High 'N' Dry, I had no intention of buying this again. See ownership section as to how this came about. Whatever the case, time for a fresh evaluation. It was about a decade ago I sold off the CD and declared I was done with Manna/Mirage. But I've never heard it on vinyl. Even though the CD sounds way better, I for whatever reason found myself enjoying this more on the umpteenth reevaluation. Nothing has really changed in my mind though - the Canterbury sections are great, the tuneless improvisations are irritating. But there's just a lot more of the former than the latter, and I'm not sure why I'm realizing that more now than prior. The Muffins are not the most swinging Canterbury group, and they tend to be a bit stilted in their overall performance. But there's a lot of great here too. I heard enough this time to hold onto it. For now.

Ownership: LP: 1978 Random Radar. Single sleeve. Purchased from a local store (2022). The odd thing here is this store had it for over a year. It was priced fairly, definitely under online retail. Had I been interested in the record, I would have paid their original price. But I wasn't, and it was too much to "invest in". Eventually they gave up - no one in Colorado Springs wants this record apparently - and slashed it 50%. Well now it's a steal. I'll just resell it then for a hefty margin. Oops, guess I'm keeping it after all... BTW, this copy is close to mint and it's still quite noisy. Not the best pressing.

6//09; 8/21/22

Id ~ USA ~ Baltimore, Maryland

Where are We Going (1977)

Id were a band from the Baltimore area who released only this one obscure album, and disappeared. For many years, it was unclear where they were even from, until recent comments on various websites pointed out Baltimore. Where are We Going is the album that Terry Brooks and Strange should have released. For those of you that have endured Raw Power, then you know what an exhausting fuzz guitar overload that album is. Id is no different really on that point, but the primary separator is the keyboard work which is all in technicolor mellotron! There's even some decent melodies, especially on the first side. Lyrically it's classic 70s cornball hippy dipster the-world-is-going-to-hell-in-a-handbasket kind of thing. There's some narration and phased semi-singing that's so bad it's bad, thus you have to love it anyway. Honestly, I like this album quite a bit. If you can handle nonstop guitar soloing in a space rock setting, then you'll enjoy this as well. And truthfully there wasn't a whole lot of this kind of music on the market in the 1970s. Where are We Going was recorded in 1975 and copyrighted in 1976. But the label is clear in appending 1977, thus it took two years to hit the market. It definitely sounds more like a 1975 album. 

Ownership: 1977 Aura (LP) 

No legit reissues exist as of 3/29/25. Apparently the bass player is working on reissuing the album.

1989 (first listen); 2/22/11 (review); 6/22/21 (update / new entry)

Chaos Code - A Tapestry of Afterthoughts. 1999 USA-Maryland

Baltimore based Chaos Code's debut is a most intriguing work. It's somewhat inconsistent, and the album does sound like various recordings - even though it appears the personnel remained the same throughout. Very much in line with other late 90s and early 00's prog rock, the album walks the tightrope between retro 70s and more contemporary modern prog. Opener 'The Cave' is a perfect example, coming across as "very American" with radio snippets and social commentary (a bit like The Muffins in that way). The music always seems on the brink of something fantastic, only to see eight and a half minutes slip away without notice. 'Heights of Time' is Chaos Code clearly trying for an Echolyn type sound - once again pointing to their own era. So at the point where it seems the album is inessential, out comes 'Antiodote to Entropy', which channels early Genesis at its finest. 'A Silent Scream' does similar, whereas closer 'The Devil's Trombone' demonstrates that Chaos Code could have been a larger name in the retro prog sweepstakes, doing a fine rendition of the type of sound the Scandinavians are more famous for (Anglagard, Wobbler, et al..). 'Gravy Fries' is a fun instrumental diversion but not going to move the needle. So for me, the track that was going to determine whether or not this would be a 3.5 or 4 star album is 'Days of Reflection'. And I fear to say there's just not enough meat on the bone. There's a five minute track hiding in a ten minute blanket here, and that's too much downtime. Still, it's an album that has held up well in retrospect. 

Ownership: CD: 1999 private. Jewel case. Six panel booklet has lyrics, recording details, and a band photo.

2000 (first listen); 10/6/12; 5/23/18 (review / new entry)

Deluge Grander - August in the Urals. 2006 USA-Maryland

Deluge Grander is a group created by the ever creative mind of Dan Britton, formerly of Cerebus Effect. Cerebus Effect was crazy enough, but this takes it to the next level. Greg Walker enthused in his catalog: "One of the best American albums ever! Banco meets Anglagard meets Crimson with lots of tron and long tracks." Well, that should setup everyone for a disappointment. Or does it? August in the Urals is so far in the old fashioned progressive camp, that it will appeal to one kind of fan – the old fashioned progressive rocker. This is very much in the over-the-top 1970s American school of complex proggy prog ala Cathedral, Mirthrandir, Pentwater, and Yezda Urfa. It was bound to happen sooner or later, a band would be completely and totally influenced by obscure worldwide progressive rock. Not jazz, psych, blues, beat, classical, or anything else. Not Yes, Genesis, and ELP but rather Locanda Delle Fate, Pulsar, Dun, and Anglagard. Much like Wobbler, if you turn your nose up at it, then it’s probably time to admit you just don’t like progressive rock anymore. Or at least anything new that sounds old. It’ll be condemned as so darn uncool by the hipsters, that it’s likely to be considered interesting by a passing stranger. As for me, well this is the style of prog rock I like most, so almost anything like it will get a gushing review. Hardly an unbiased, fair, and balanced outlook I realize. Not that it’s perfect by any means, the vocals being one of the areas that could use some improvement. And it’s a little short of memorable melodies and good grooves. But no complaints from me, there’s so little of this kind of music anymore, I’ll take whatever is given me. Appropriately enough, the cover is a grandiose Thomas Cole painting, the same one used by doom metallers Candlemass on Ancient Dreams. Who’d a thunk Baltimore would end up being the center of the universe for European prog?

Ownership: CD: 2006 Emkog

2006; 9/26/17 (new entry)

Circus Underwater ~ USA ~ Maryland

Circus Underwater (1984)

Circus Underwater, from the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC, were a progressive electronic group, heavy on atmosphere and with a good grasp of melody. The acoustics are fantastic, and the Frippian guitar leads are really quite splendid. Perhaps had Circus Underwater considered being a Berlin School electronic group in the Tangerine Dream genre, they may have found success at the time - though their sound wasn't that removed from what Klaus Schulze and other electronic artists of the day were attempting. I've seen dealers sell this as "minimal synth" to great success, but that's an entirely misleading genre tag for this effort.

The album is under 28 minutes (Side 2 is about 12 minutes), so it could technically be considered an EP. The Glass Wing label is from Maryland, while the packaging and pressing are from Phoenix. The production and pressing are exceptional. Features a wonderful stenciled front cover. I found this album in a Tucson, Arizona record store in 1994, most likely because it was pressed relatively nearby. 

I received a generous offer for the album direct from my collection, so I sold it.

Former ownership: 1984 Glass Wing (LP). Acquired in 1994.

 

Not reissued on CD as of 2/21/25 (was reissued on LP however).

7/3/94; 2/17/11 (review); 10/26/16 (new entry)

Birds and Buildings - Multipurpose Trap. 2013 USA-Maryland

Birds and Buildings are one of a handful of bands Dan Britton is involved with (others including Deluge Grander, Cerebus Effect, and All Over Everywhere). On top of his considerable music composition acumen, Britton is also a student of the progressive rock genre as a whole. He's not only aware of the surface groups, but also of the labyrinthine underground - many of the same obscure bands I feature often. This deep research shows up in all his recordings, and he seems careful to not fall into the cliche traps he hears in others bands - especially modern ones who have the luxury of history on their side. Not only are music charts well studied, but so is the instrumentation, with a careful mix of analog and modern gear applied. Birds and Buildings would appear to be Britton's vehicle geared towards the more academic approach to rock, often referred to as the Avant Prog genre. Britton states Birds and Buildings charter is: "We play a mixture of intense jazz-rock (often bordering on zeuhl), more experimental symphonic music, and occasional avant-garde heaviness." On both recordings to date, Bantam to Behemoth and Multipurpose Trap, Birds and Buildings have delivered very busy affairs. Nothing sits still for long, and multiple shifts occur across harmonic, dynamic, and metric lines. If I stopped writing here, and that's all there was, I would admire Birds and Buildings but not necessarily enjoy it. But where Britton gets it right is he never loses sight of the song - melody is as important as the structure. As well, free improvisations where various instrumentalists lose total control of what they're doing are forbidden in Birds and Buildings' world. The very best of the Avant Prog bands understand these traits. The jagged nature of the genre can be too cold and clinical for repeated enjoyment, while long stretches of atonal noise are only for those who vacuum the room while listening. As well, I appreciate that Birds and Buildings do not resort to the all-too-predictable cartoon music which is supposed to somehow overcompensate for the seriousness. Also worth mentioning is none of this could happen without the band itself - all very accomplished players who put in a very spirited performance. Kudos to all! So what you have is a band that is incredibly dense like Thinking Plague or 5uu's, but considerably more accessible. I find that I can listen to these albums over and over, which is rare for an Avant Prog album to be honest (for me that is). About the closest comparison would be a band like Underground Railroad - different conclusion, but the same premise. And Underground Railroad features another student of the progressive rock genre, so perhaps it's to be expected.  I suppose if I were to level a criticism, and not that I have to, it would be nice to see Birds and Buildings lock into a groove every once in awhile. This allows the compositions to add some space and breathe a bit, and well... rock dammit. Caravan's 'Nine Feet Underground' is perhaps the perfect blueprint for what I mean here. Complexity, melody, and good old fashioned "in the groove" jamming. As if anticipating such an attack, it is interesting to note that Multipurpose Trap adds in a funk/disco component towards the end - something that the late 70s French bands were so adept at. I thought that was a stroke of genius, completely throwing the academic disposition on its head.

Ownership: CD: 2013 Emkog

12/17/13 (new entry)

Polestar 1 ~ USA ~ Baltimore, Maryland

Flying Thru the Universe (1980)

Polestar 1 were a Baltimore based heavy progressive rock band that in many ways reflect the same standards and sound as their Midwest brethren close by. There's a certain directness from America's premier political region, and you hear it in bands such as The Muffins, Oho, Heavy the World, Mars Everywhere, and Id's Where are We Going. The latter two groups in particular seem to have parallels with Polestar 1, especially the cosmic themes, vocal styling and guitar-centered space rock nature of the recordings. Like the Midwest groups, the playing is compact but complex.

Ownership: 1980 Rascal (LP)

No reissues as I update this post (2/21/25)

3/29/11 (review / new entry)