Art Rock Review: Rhys Marsh-Sentiment

Genre: Art Rock

Release Date: 10^thNovember 2014

Label:   Autumnsong Records (Burning Shed)

Website

This is another of those times when items for review have links. Having recently reviewed the debut release by Kaukasus, I now find that the new release by Rhys Marsh, Sentiment, has landed on the reviewing desk. Rhys is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Trondheim, Norway. Apart from being a solo artist, Rhys is the leader of the band The Autumn Ghost and a member of both Kaukasus and Mandala.

Autumn 2013 saw Rhys debut solo release entitled Suspended in A Weightless Wind, which comprised 5 tracks of cover material including Nick Drake and King Crimson.

Sentiment is the first full length solo release by Rhys and was written and recorded in his own Autumnsongs Recording studio. The artist himself has described the material as “my darkest and noisiest album so far. That encouraged me to step away from my comfort zone and really delve into more personal matters.”

Normally I would now go into a bit of info about the artist /band and who played what etc. but this time it is very short and indeed very easy. The only musician listed on the album is one Rhys Marsh, who plays “everything.”

Sentiment is a 9 track album with a total playing time of around 42 minutes, with the shortest track, “Burn The Brightest Day” lasting 3:19 minutes and the longest track, “The Ghost Ship” running on just beyond the 6 minute mark (6:11).

“Pictures Of Ashes” (3:50) is a very catchy track with a gentle light bass behind a plaintive vocal. The acoustic guitar is excellent and the “flute” (possibly a mellotron?) helps the track build with the increasing intensity of the snare. The chorus occurs through what is normally referred to as a wall of sound and then this drops away around the 2 minute mark and the music becomes very sparse, but so melodic. There is a change just after 2:30 minute point with a blast of sound from the mellotron before a return to the earlier theme. This is a track that very quickly permeates into your head.

Track 4, “The Seventh Face” (4:49) is one of those tracks that is, in a very subtle way, burrowing deep into your mind without you being aware of the situation. This is another example of some superb bass playing together with “strings” (mellotron again?) to create an amazing aural soundscape. Rhys vocals, as on Kaukasus recordings, are so clear and powerful, adding another facet to this track. This is my favorite track of the album thus far.

Up next is the longest track, “The Ghost Ship” (6:11) is a beautiful, melancholic track of stunning simplicity. Herein lies the proof that drums can be subtle as they are so light, and together with more perfectly played bass, they paint an amazing scenario. With the general feeling one of melancholy or sadness, the vocals fit that description like a glove. This is a track that at different times both drifts, and occasionally, drives along forming a superb piece of work. It leaves with a very much upbeat blast including fuzz toned guitars.

The next track in this section, “In The Sand” (3:49) is the opposite in style of expression of the previous track. The feeling of openness, evident earlier in the tracks has been replaced by a tight precision which anchors the track, and although relatively short, is a track that will linger long in the mind.

The general feeling of this album is that Rhys has evolved from previous material, but has, at the same time, maintained the “Rhys ethos” in that he retains the ability to tell amazing stories in his catchy, melodic/moody, vocal led work. Several times he approaches the area that Kaukasus inhabit, but this release, Sentiment, is very definitely a Rhys marsh solo success. Sentiment may require several listens before you realize that each and every track has somehow managed to get inside your head and subsequent listens seem to accentuate the little hooks and themes that you might have previously missed. Sentiment is an album to be savored and should be high on your CD shopping list.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: The Seventh Face, The Ghost Ship, In The Sand

Tracks:
Calling In The Night
Burn The Brightest Day
Picture Of Ashes
The Seventh Face
The Ghost Ship
In The Sand
Last November
Silver Light And Blackened Eyes
Give Me (What You Need)

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

March 29, 2015

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

Art Rock Review: Rhys Marsh-Sentiment

Genre: Art Rock

Release Date: 10^thNovember 2014

Label:   Autumnsong Records (Burning Shed)

Website

This is another of those times when items for review have links. Having recently reviewed the debut release by Kaukasus, I now find that the new release by Rhys Marsh, Sentiment, has landed on the reviewing desk. Rhys is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer based in Trondheim, Norway. Apart from being a solo artist, Rhys is the leader of the band The Autumn Ghost and a member of both Kaukasus and Mandala.

Autumn 2013 saw Rhys debut solo release entitled Suspended in A Weightless Wind, which comprised 5 tracks of cover material including Nick Drake and King Crimson.

Sentiment is the first full length solo release by Rhys and was written and recorded in his own Autumnsongs Recording studio. The artist himself has described the material as “my darkest and noisiest album so far. That encouraged me to step away from my comfort zone and really delve into more personal matters.”

Normally I would now go into a bit of info about the artist /band and who played what etc. but this time it is very short and indeed very easy. The only musician listed on the album is one Rhys Marsh, who plays “everything.”

Sentiment is a 9 track album with a total playing time of around 42 minutes, with the shortest track, “Burn The Brightest Day” lasting 3:19 minutes and the longest track, “The Ghost Ship” running on just beyond the 6 minute mark (6:11).

“Pictures Of Ashes” (3:50) is a very catchy track with a gentle light bass behind a plaintive vocal. The acoustic guitar is excellent and the “flute” (possibly a mellotron?) helps the track build with the increasing intensity of the snare. The chorus occurs through what is normally referred to as a wall of sound and then this drops away around the 2 minute mark and the music becomes very sparse, but so melodic. There is a change just after 2:30 minute point with a blast of sound from the mellotron before a return to the earlier theme. This is a track that very quickly permeates into your head.

Track 4, “The Seventh Face” (4:49) is one of those tracks that is, in a very subtle way, burrowing deep into your mind without you being aware of the situation. This is another example of some superb bass playing together with “strings” (mellotron again?) to create an amazing aural soundscape. Rhys vocals, as on Kaukasus recordings, are so clear and powerful, adding another facet to this track. This is my favorite track of the album thus far.

Up next is the longest track, “The Ghost Ship” (6:11) is a beautiful, melancholic track of stunning simplicity. Herein lies the proof that drums can be subtle as they are so light, and together with more perfectly played bass, they paint an amazing scenario. With the general feeling one of melancholy or sadness, the vocals fit that description like a glove. This is a track that at different times both drifts, and occasionally, drives along forming a superb piece of work. It leaves with a very much upbeat blast including fuzz toned guitars.

The next track in this section, “In The Sand” (3:49) is the opposite in style of expression of the previous track. The feeling of openness, evident earlier in the tracks has been replaced by a tight precision which anchors the track, and although relatively short, is a track that will linger long in the mind.

The general feeling of this album is that Rhys has evolved from previous material, but has, at the same time, maintained the “Rhys ethos” in that he retains the ability to tell amazing stories in his catchy, melodic/moody, vocal led work. Several times he approaches the area that Kaukasus inhabit, but this release, Sentiment, is very definitely a Rhys marsh solo success. Sentiment may require several listens before you realize that each and every track has somehow managed to get inside your head and subsequent listens seem to accentuate the little hooks and themes that you might have previously missed. Sentiment is an album to be savored and should be high on your CD shopping list.

4.5/5 Stars

Key Tracks: The Seventh Face, The Ghost Ship, In The Sand

Tracks:
Calling In The Night
Burn The Brightest Day
Picture Of Ashes
The Seventh Face
The Ghost Ship
In The Sand
Last November
Silver Light And Blackened Eyes
Give Me (What You Need)

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

March 29, 2015

Review Provided By Write A Music Review

Art Rock Review: The Gabriel Construct-Interior City

Release Date: September 2013

Label:  Indie

Website

As I have often commented upon previously, being a reviewer has allowed me to come into contact with artists that I may otherwise have overlooked. One such artist is The Gabriel Construct and the debut release, Interior City. The Gabriel Construct is the name given to the solo project of Gabriel Lucas Riccio, who hails from Salisbury Maryland. Newly graduated in music in 2011, this multi-instrumentalist has released what is best described as a “dark and atmospheric” album, which Gabriel has said is a “concept concerned with overcoming the mental programming which holds each of us back.”  This is a very powerful statement indeed, and the question that this reviewer will attempt to answer is, whether this release is indeed achieving these goals.

The musicians involved in The Gabriel Construct are Gabriel Lucas Riccio (vocals, keyboards, programming, rain stick and wood block), Thomas Murphy (bass), Davis Stivelman (electric and acoustic guitars), Travis Orbin (drums, additional screams), Sophia Uddin (violin), Soren Larson (saxophone) and Garrett Davis (additional laughs). The listing of band members for additional screams and additional laughs is certainly intriguing.

Interior Cityis a 10 track album with a running time of around 72 minutes. The shortest track on Interior City is track 5, “Retreat Underground” at 2:38 minutes and “Languishing in Lower Chakras,” the penultimate, and longest track, runs on for just over 11 minutes (11:09).

The opening track toInterior City, “Arrival In A Distant Land” (6:51) opens with a sound which seems familiar but, in effect, turns out to be the “strings” inside the piano being strummed, before there appears an audible bass sound and then some of the higher registers. Certainly, the start creates an interesting aural soundscape, but seemingly without any direction until a vocal appears around the 3:15 minute point. An almost spoken style of vocal carries the track along until a gentle piano motif appears briefly before the voice returns with increasing venom, which moved the track very close to discordant, with the repeated statement “I can’t get out.” Just as quickly as it built up, the track drops back into simple piano but retains that air of discordancy. As a constant advocate of the importance of opening tracks to the way a listener “hears” the rest of the album, the best description of “Arrival in a Distant Land” is uncomfortable, moving the listener out of their comfort zone. Such a feeling may, or may not, be a good thing within the context of the concept being laid out, moving on through the album will tell.

“Ranting Prophet” (4:50) has Gabriel’s voice appearing in a gentle piano based introduction, but within 50 seconds has rocketed into a full blooded band sound which seems designed to continue the feeling of unease generated by the opening track. The almost manic tone the voice reaches and the similar sounding violin which cuts across the track add to this feeling. To add to this reviewer’s feeling of discomfort, there is a little burst of the metronomic drumming that prevails in a large number of progressive metal outings. The feeling of bleakness within the concept is certainly to the fore on the two opening tracks. 

The shortest track, “Retreat Underground” (2:38), hits the ground running, with a mass of drums, piano and bass played at speeds thus far not achieved, together with harmonized multi-layered vocals (although sometimes a solo voice is heard), which is very impressive and segues into “Subway Dwellers” (5:32) which tones the speed back a little bit whilst maintaining the vocal style. At times the music and the vocals seem to be “slugging it out” to see who comes out ahead and this tends to distract from the initial appeal of the track.

“Languishing in Lower Chakras” (11:09), the longest track on Interior City is certainly sparse in its introduction, with some piano flitting in and out before a plethora of random sounds filters into the proceedings, including various voices, humming and clapping. This is certainly an atmospheric piece with the sounds slowly building and the piano continuing to underpin what is going on. The sound changes around the 7 minute point to a more energetic humming which supersedes the other sounds. The gentle undulations of the various sounds continue and the fadeout of the track sees a repeated “Get me out of here.” This track is an interesting soundscape making the track almost like an oasis of calm within a desert of discordancy.

At the outset, I described Interior City as dark and atmospheric, and I would still use those terms but can add some more details to the description. Gabriel Lucas Riccio is without doubt an amazing musician in that this album is a showcase for some amazing music, but I did find that while many albums produce a balance between the light and dark scenarios within the music, Gabriel shows an either/or approach. The music is either light, and tends towards the softer, piano based, single voiced sections, or it is dark, and becomes heavier, faster with multi tracked voices, “speed metal double bass drums” and quickly enters the world of the discordant. There is no graduation from one extreme to the other; the change is immediate, almost like flicking a switch.

Interior CityI found a difficult, and at times, uncomfortable listen, but persevered in the hope of understanding what it was all about. In effect, it reminded me of my son, many years ago, listening to a particular track (Aumgn) from the Tago Mago album by the German band, Can. He commented that he disliked the particular track intensely, but when I suggested he just switch it off, he said that he couldn’t, because although it made him feel uncomfortable, he felt he had to keep listening.

Give Interior Citya good few listens and make up your own mind about the album, but I feel that it is an album that I will be unlikely to revisit.

PRMT Rating: 3/5 Stars

Key Tracks:  Retreat Underground, Subway Dwellers, Languishing in Lower Chakras

Tracks:
Arrival In A Distant Land
Ranting Prophet
Fear Of Humanity
My Alien Father
Retreat Underground
Subway Dwellers
Defense Highway
Inner Sanctum
Languishing in Lower Chakras
Curing Somatization
 

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

July 25, 2014

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk

Art Rock Review: The Gabriel Construct-Interior City

Release Date: September 2013

Label:  Indie

Website

As I have often commented upon previously, being a reviewer has allowed me to come into contact with artists that I may otherwise have overlooked. One such artist is The Gabriel Construct and the debut release, Interior City. The Gabriel Construct is the name given to the solo project of Gabriel Lucas Riccio, who hails from Salisbury Maryland. Newly graduated in music in 2011, this multi-instrumentalist has released what is best described as a “dark and atmospheric” album, which Gabriel has said is a “concept concerned with overcoming the mental programming which holds each of us back.”  This is a very powerful statement indeed, and the question that this reviewer will attempt to answer is, whether this release is indeed achieving these goals.

The musicians involved in The Gabriel Construct are Gabriel Lucas Riccio (vocals, keyboards, programming, rain stick and wood block), Thomas Murphy (bass), Davis Stivelman (electric and acoustic guitars), Travis Orbin (drums, additional screams), Sophia Uddin (violin), Soren Larson (saxophone) and Garrett Davis (additional laughs). The listing of band members for additional screams and additional laughs is certainly intriguing.

Interior Cityis a 10 track album with a running time of around 72 minutes. The shortest track on Interior City is track 5, “Retreat Underground” at 2:38 minutes and “Languishing in Lower Chakras,” the penultimate, and longest track, runs on for just over 11 minutes (11:09).

The opening track toInterior City, “Arrival In A Distant Land” (6:51) opens with a sound which seems familiar but, in effect, turns out to be the “strings” inside the piano being strummed, before there appears an audible bass sound and then some of the higher registers. Certainly, the start creates an interesting aural soundscape, but seemingly without any direction until a vocal appears around the 3:15 minute point. An almost spoken style of vocal carries the track along until a gentle piano motif appears briefly before the voice returns with increasing venom, which moved the track very close to discordant, with the repeated statement “I can’t get out.” Just as quickly as it built up, the track drops back into simple piano but retains that air of discordancy. As a constant advocate of the importance of opening tracks to the way a listener “hears” the rest of the album, the best description of “Arrival in a Distant Land” is uncomfortable, moving the listener out of their comfort zone. Such a feeling may, or may not, be a good thing within the context of the concept being laid out, moving on through the album will tell.

“Ranting Prophet” (4:50) has Gabriel’s voice appearing in a gentle piano based introduction, but within 50 seconds has rocketed into a full blooded band sound which seems designed to continue the feeling of unease generated by the opening track. The almost manic tone the voice reaches and the similar sounding violin which cuts across the track add to this feeling. To add to this reviewer’s feeling of discomfort, there is a little burst of the metronomic drumming that prevails in a large number of progressive metal outings. The feeling of bleakness within the concept is certainly to the fore on the two opening tracks. 

The shortest track, “Retreat Underground” (2:38), hits the ground running, with a mass of drums, piano and bass played at speeds thus far not achieved, together with harmonized multi-layered vocals (although sometimes a solo voice is heard), which is very impressive and segues into “Subway Dwellers” (5:32) which tones the speed back a little bit whilst maintaining the vocal style. At times the music and the vocals seem to be “slugging it out” to see who comes out ahead and this tends to distract from the initial appeal of the track.

“Languishing in Lower Chakras” (11:09), the longest track on Interior City is certainly sparse in its introduction, with some piano flitting in and out before a plethora of random sounds filters into the proceedings, including various voices, humming and clapping. This is certainly an atmospheric piece with the sounds slowly building and the piano continuing to underpin what is going on. The sound changes around the 7 minute point to a more energetic humming which supersedes the other sounds. The gentle undulations of the various sounds continue and the fadeout of the track sees a repeated “Get me out of here.” This track is an interesting soundscape making the track almost like an oasis of calm within a desert of discordancy.

At the outset, I described Interior City as dark and atmospheric, and I would still use those terms but can add some more details to the description. Gabriel Lucas Riccio is without doubt an amazing musician in that this album is a showcase for some amazing music, but I did find that while many albums produce a balance between the light and dark scenarios within the music, Gabriel shows an either/or approach. The music is either light, and tends towards the softer, piano based, single voiced sections, or it is dark, and becomes heavier, faster with multi tracked voices, “speed metal double bass drums” and quickly enters the world of the discordant. There is no graduation from one extreme to the other; the change is immediate, almost like flicking a switch.

Interior CityI found a difficult, and at times, uncomfortable listen, but persevered in the hope of understanding what it was all about. In effect, it reminded me of my son, many years ago, listening to a particular track (Aumgn) from the Tago Mago album by the German band, Can. He commented that he disliked the particular track intensely, but when I suggested he just switch it off, he said that he couldn’t, because although it made him feel uncomfortable, he felt he had to keep listening.

Give Interior Citya good few listens and make up your own mind about the album, but I feel that it is an album that I will be unlikely to revisit.

PRMT Rating: 3/5 Stars

Key Tracks:  Retreat Underground, Subway Dwellers, Languishing in Lower Chakras

Tracks:
Arrival In A Distant Land
Ranting Prophet
Fear Of Humanity
My Alien Father
Retreat Underground
Subway Dwellers
Defense Highway
Inner Sanctum
Languishing in Lower Chakras
Curing Somatization
 

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson-Sr. Reviewer Prog Rock Music Talk

July 25, 2014

Review Provided By Prog Rock Music Talk