Progressive Rock Review: Mostly Autumn-White Rainbow

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Label:  Mostly Autumn Records

Website

The artwork on Mostly Autumn's latest offering, White Rainbow, depicts a mirrored sunrise over a snowy mountain encompassed by a white rainbow.  The image is apt, as the album reflects genuinely on the loss of their former and longtime guitarist Liam Davison, while at the same time, pointing the way to new beginnings.  

After 12 studio albums, most bands find a groove that works and ride in comfort within it.  Mostly Autumn's 13th album finds the band breaking out of any supposed rut and venturing forth to produce a modern-day progressive folk-rock masterwork.

Each track on White Rainbow is a story unto itself.  Filled with atmosphere, conflict, and triumph, crescendos rise at the point of epiphany and fall upon the listener with beauty and grace.  At seventy-nine minutes, Mostly Autumn feels in a sense like a movie soundtrack supporting a majestic drama.  Celtic folk undertones place the listener in the mind of proud warriors riding through the countryside on a quest to rescue their captured Queen. Valhalla, be damned. 

The slow atmospheric intros are joined by soaring vocal harmony and accentuated by torrents of accomplished guitar work.  At the point when the listener feels the song has reached its peak, Mostly Autumn rises to another level. Therein lies the beauty of blending folk sensibilities with progressive stylings. The songs don't have to end where one thinks they might.  White Rainbow leads the listener into a false sense of calm and security and then hit you with a guitar-driven onslaught leaving you weakened, yet exhilarated. 

The energy behind this orchestration is Olivia Sparnenn's voice, which packs the one-two punch of power and vulnerability. Think of the dramatic soprano of Ann Wilson intermingled with the tenderness of (dare I say) Olivia Newton-John. Ms. Sparnenn's vocals layered upon such vibrant musicianship put this listener in the mind of Sandy Denny on Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore. 

All in all, Mostly Autumn’s White Rainbow is a polished work whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Listen to it straight through, and you'll realize the depth and breadth of its brilliance.  This is a progressive rock treasure you'll be thrilled you discovered and a musical dream from which you won't want to wake. 

Key Tracks Include: “Burn”, “Run for the Sun”, “Western Skies”, “Into the Stars”, “The Undertow”

Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff

November 14, 2019

REVIEWS PROVIDED BY:

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MuzikMan Productions

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Tracks:
01.  Procession
02.  Viking Funeral
03.  Burn
04.  Run for the Sun
05.  Western Skies
06.  Into the Stars
07.  Up
08.  The Undertow
09.  Gone
10.  White Rainbow
11.  Young

Progressive Rock Review: Mostly Autumn-White Rainbow

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Label:  Mostly Autumn Records

Website

The artwork on Mostly Autumn's latest offering, White Rainbow, depicts a mirrored sunrise over a snowy mountain encompassed by a white rainbow.  The image is apt, as the album reflects genuinely on the loss of their former and longtime guitarist Liam Davison, while at the same time, pointing the way to new beginnings.  

After 12 studio albums, most bands find a groove that works and ride in comfort within it.  Mostly Autumn's 13th album finds the band breaking out of any supposed rut and venturing forth to produce a modern-day progressive folk-rock masterwork.

Each track on White Rainbowis a story unto itself.  Filled with atmosphere, conflict, and triumph, crescendos rise at the point of epiphany and fall upon the listener with beauty and grace.  At seventy-nine minutes, Mostly Autumn feels in a sense like a movie soundtrack supporting a majestic drama.  Celtic folk undertones place the listener in the mind of proud warriors riding through the countryside on a quest to rescue their captured Queen. Valhalla, be damned. 

The slow atmospheric intros are joined by soaring vocal harmony and accentuated by torrents of accomplished guitar work.  At the point when the listener feels the song has reached its peak, Mostly Autumn rises to another level. Therein lies the beauty of blending folk sensibilities with progressive stylings. The songs don't have to end where one thinks they might.  White Rainbow leads the listener into a false sense of calm and security and then hit you with a guitar-driven onslaught leaving you weakened, yet exhilarated. 

The energy behind this orchestration is Olivia Sparnenn's voice, which packs the one-two punch of power and vulnerability. Think of the dramatic soprano of Ann Wilson intermingled with the tenderness of (dare I say) Olivia Newton-John. Ms. Sparnenn's vocals layered upon such vibrant musicianship put this listener in the mind of Sandy Denny on Led Zeppelin's Battle of Evermore. 

All in all, Mostly Autumn’s White Rainbow is a polished work whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Listen to it straight through, and you'll realize the depth and breadth of its brilliance.  This is a progressive rock treasure you'll be thrilled you discovered and a musical dream from which you won't want to wake. 

Key Tracks Include: “Burn”, “Run for the Sun”, “Western Skies”, “Into the Stars”, “The Undertow”

Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff

November 14, 2019

REVIEWS PROVIDED BY:

The Final on Vinyl

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

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Rate the Tracks

Tracks:
01.  Procession
02.  Viking Funeral
03.  Burn
04.  Run for the Sun
05.  Western Skies
06.  Into the Stars
07.  Up
08.  The Undertow
09.  Gone
10.  White Rainbow
11.  Young

Progressive Rock Review: RPWL-Live from Outer Space

Release Date:  November 15, 2019

Label:  Gentle Art of Music

Website

German sci-fi prog rockers, RPWL is back with a collection of 14 live tracks that will lift you, launch you into hyperspace, and land you safely in your living room, inspired by the journey. The best live albums serve to showcase a band’s greatest hits stripped of any studio production varnish. This brings the music closer to reality and closer to the feeling that summoned the listener in the first place. Live from Outer Space is no exception. 

Since their modest beginnings as a Pink Floyd cover band in the late ’80s, RPWL’s sound has evolved into a sophisticated, accessible progressive sound. I wouldn’t say the influence is Pink Floyd as a whole, but more specifically, David Gilmour. Yogi Lang’s subtle yet menacing voice is similar to Gilmour’s as it seems to emerge with an enlightened authority, like a God summoning his followers from on high. Lang guides his passengers through the wonders of the universe, prophesizing on what might live beyond our understanding. Think of Pink Floyd’s post-Roger Waters years with a deep-space sci-fi undercurrent. 

Live from Outer Space marks their seventh live album compared to ten studio albums. RPWL is proud of their live work, offering reinvented versions only the unrestrained freedom of a live performance can bring forth. 

Live performances also bring forth the opportunity to craft setlists that flow together cohesively. RPWL weave in the narration, which intertwines the songs into a storyline of sorts. Admittedly, during “News from Outer Space,” I had to fight off the image from Spinal Tap of Nigel Tufnel waxing poetically about the little children of Stonehenge as a two-foot-high prop is lowered onto the stage. This is hardly RPWL’s fault as Spinal Tap ruined any attempt for legitimate bands of the future to attempt any dramatic narration on stage. 

Where others zig and zag, RPWL swerves and glides through the infinite vastness of space and time. A smoother ride than some of prog rock’s jagged journeys, RPWL delivers to their fans new takes on old favorites and provides new listeners an accessible entry point into prog rock. So, set your controls for the heart of the sun, RPWL will take you on a satisfying ride you’ll want to take again and again.  

Key Tracks Include: “Not Our Place to Be”, “Roses”, “Hole in the Sky”, “Sleep”

Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff

October 25, 2019

REVIEWS PROVIDED BY:

The Final on Vinyl

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

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Rate the Tracks

Tracks:
CD1
1.  A New World
2.  Welcome to the Freak Show
3.  Light of the World
4.  Not Our Place to Be
5.  What I Really Need
6.  Give Birth to the Sun
7.  Far Away from Home

CD2
1.  Hole in the Sky
2.  Sleep
3.  Masters of War
4.  Trying to Kiss the Sun
5.  Roses
6.  Unchain the Earth
 

Progressive Rock Review: RPWL-Live from Outer Space

Release Date:  November 15, 2019

Label:  Gentle Art of Music

Website

German sci-fi prog rockers, RPWL is back with a collection of 14 live tracks that will lift you, launch you into hyperspace, and land you safely in your living room, inspired by the journey. The best live albums serve to showcase a band’s greatest hits stripped of any studio production varnish. This brings the music closer to reality and closer to the feeling that summoned the listener in the first place. Live from Outer Space is no exception. 

Since their modest beginnings as a Pink Floyd cover band in the late ’80s, RPWL’s sound has evolved into a sophisticated, accessible progressive sound. I wouldn’t say the influence is Pink Floyd as a whole, but more specifically, David Gilmour. Yogi Lang’s subtle yet menacing voice is similar to Gilmour’s as it seems to emerge with an enlightened authority, like a God summoning his followers from on high. Lang guides his passengers through the wonders of the universe, prophesizing on what might live beyond our understanding. Think of Pink Floyd’s post-Roger Waters years with a deep-space sci-fi undercurrent. 

Live from Outer Space marks their seventh live album compared to ten studio albums. RPWL is proud of their live work, offering reinvented versions only the unrestrained freedom of a live performance can bring forth. 

Live performances also bring forth the opportunity to craft setlists that flow together cohesively. RPWL weave in the narration, which intertwines the songs into a storyline of sorts. Admittedly, during “News from Outer Space,” I had to fight off the image from Spinal Tap of Nigel Tufnel waxing poetically about the little children of Stonehenge as a two-foot-high prop is lowered onto the stage. This is hardly RPWL’s fault as Spinal Tap ruined any attempt for legitimate bands of the future to attempt any dramatic narration on stage. 

Where others zig and zag, RPWL swerves and glides through the infinite vastness of space and time. A smoother ride than some of prog rock’s jagged journeys, RPWL delivers to their fans new takes on old favorites and provides new listeners an accessible entry point into prog rock. So, set your controls for the heart of the sun, RPWL will take you on a satisfying ride you’ll want to take again and again.  

Key Tracks Include: “Not Our Place to Be”, “Roses”, “Hole in the Sky”, “Sleep”

Tom Endyke - MuzikMan.net Staff

October 25, 2019

REVIEWS PROVIDED BY:

The Final on Vinyl

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

Write a Music Review

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Rate the Tracks

Tracks:
CD1
1.  A New World
2.  Welcome to the Freak Show
3.  Light of the World
4.  Not Our Place to Be
5.  What I Really Need
6.  Give Birth to the Sun
7.  Far Away from Home

CD2
1.  Hole in the Sky
2.  Sleep
3.  Masters of War
4.  Trying to Kiss the Sun
5.  Roses
6.  Unchain the Earth
 

Progressive Rock Review: The Inner Road-The Majestic Garden

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Label: Independent

Website

The Inner Road is the creation of Steve Gresswell and Phil Braithwaite, two former members of the band Coalition who joined forces to fulfill their own musical needs. On March 1, 2019, they released their fourth album The Majestic Garden. The album, along with other works of theirs, falls into the genre of progressive rock: originally a movement in the ’70's to bring new elements of sophistication to rock music. The genre gains inspiration from psychedelic music from the ’60s, often containing uncommon song structures, interludes, and heightened dynamics. The Majestic Garden is a wonderful example of prog that portrays its unique characteristics while also contributing to the genre with the addition of a fantastical layer to their music. 

A key characteristic of The Majestic Garden that sets it apart from other prog music is the usage of musical elements to suggest a fantastical setting in each song. While other prog bands like Pink Floyd and Genesis sway their audience with compelling melodies and lyrics, The Inner Road sways theirs with the atmosphere they create. The Majestic Garden transports you to a magical forest populated with giants, trolls, and faeries, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a high fantasy story. This is likely due to the repetition of minor scales ascending to the fifth interval and then descending, mostly seen during “Call of the Spirit” and “Water Well.” Minor scales are infamous for providing a spooky and ominous atmosphere. When they’re used as the melody of multiple songs, it causes the album to feel nothing short of supernatural. The repetition of the scale going up and down also generates a mood of suspense; the listeners hear this melody and expect it to change like usual, but it remains constant for a long portion of the song. The anticipation of a melody change sparks suspense into their listeners, a characteristic also extremely prominent in high fantasy. 

           

To add, a large contributing factor to the atmosphere of this album is the irregular rhythm in each song. For example, the rhythm section of the title track “The Majestic Garden” begins by playing four monotonous quarter notes, assisting in the creation of an upbeat melody and an inspirational ambiance. However, in the second track “Call of the Spirit,” the melody is much darker and ominous. This is reinforced by the rhythm section, whose dynamics are heightened at the beginning of the song when they play two strong quarter notes at the end of each measure. The rhythm of each song differs, either becoming more complex like in “Lost Land” or becoming more simplistic such as in “Mother Earth.” The continuous transformation from the rhythm section assists in the feeling of multiple events with different levels of significance occurring one after the other as if the album were telling a story. 

If you want to be immersed in a world similar to that of Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons, The Majestic Garden by The Inner Road is the album for you. With the assistance of musical elements such as the use of minor scales and the irregularity of the rhythm in each song, The Majestic Garden contributes to prog by adding a layer of fantasy that had been rarely seen before in the genre. 

Key tracks Include: "Call of The Spirit" "The Majestic Garden" "Mother Earth" “Fire of Life”

Ana McLaughlin-Contributor

October 3, 2019

Tracks:
1. The Majestic Garden
2. Call of the Spirit
3. Wind from the Reeds
4. Fire of Life
5. Lost Land
6. Changing Sea
7. Water Well
8. Mother Earth
9. Circle of Shadows

Progressive Rock Review: The Inner Road-The Majestic Garden

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Label: Independent

Website

The Inner Road is the creation of Steve Gresswell and Phil Braithwaite, two former members of the band Coalition who joined forces to fulfill their own musical needs. On March 1, 2019, they released their fourth album The Majestic Garden. The album, along with other works of theirs, falls into the genre of progressive rock: originally a movement in the ’70's to bring new elements of sophistication to rock music. The genre gains inspiration from psychedelic music from the ’60s, often containing uncommon song structures, interludes, and heightened dynamics. The Majestic Garden is a wonderful example of prog that portrays its unique characteristics while also contributing to the genre with the addition of a fantastical layer to their music. 

A key characteristic of The Majestic Garden that sets it apart from other prog music is the usage of musical elements to suggest a fantastical setting in each song. While other prog bands like Pink Floyd and Genesis sway their audience with compelling melodies and lyrics, The Inner Road sways theirs with the atmosphere they create. The Majestic Garden transports you to a magical forest populated with giants, trolls, and faeries, you’ll feel like you’re in the middle of a high fantasy story. This is likely due to the repetition of minor scales ascending to the fifth interval and then descending, mostly seen during “Call of the Spirit” and “Water Well.” Minor scales are infamous for providing a spooky and ominous atmosphere. When they’re used as the melody of multiple songs, it causes the album to feel nothing short of supernatural. The repetition of the scale going up and down also generates a mood of suspense; the listeners hear this melody and expect it to change like usual, but it remains constant for a long portion of the song. The anticipation of a melody change sparks suspense into their listeners, a characteristic also extremely prominent in high fantasy. 

           

To add, a large contributing factor to the atmosphere of this album is the irregular rhythm in each song. For example, the rhythm section of the title track “The Majestic Garden” begins by playing four monotonous quarter notes, assisting in the creation of an upbeat melody and an inspirational ambiance. However, in the second track “Call of the Spirit,” the melody is much darker and ominous. This is reinforced by the rhythm section, whose dynamics are heightened at the beginning of the song when they play two strong quarter notes at the end of each measure. The rhythm of each song differs, either becoming more complex like in “Lost Land” or becoming more simplistic such as in “Mother Earth.” The continuous transformation from the rhythm section assists in the feeling of multiple events with different levels of significance occurring one after the other as if the album were telling a story. 

If you want to be immersed in a world similar to that of Lord of the Rings or Dungeons and Dragons, The Majestic Garden by The Inner Road is the album for you. With the assistance of musical elements such as the use of minor scales and the irregularity of the rhythm in each song, The Majestic Garden contributes to prog by adding a layer of fantasy that had been rarely seen before in the genre. 

Key tracks Include: "Call of The Spirit" "The Majestic Garden" "Mother Earth" “Fire of Life”

Ana McLaughlin-Contributor

October 3, 2019

Tracks:
1. The Majestic Garden
2. Call of the Spirit
3. Wind from the Reeds
4. Fire of Life
5. Lost Land
6. Changing Sea
7. Water Well
8. Mother Earth
9. Circle of Shadows

Progressive Rock-Jazz -Fusion Review: Yuval Ron-Somewhere in the Universe Somebody Hits a Drum

Release Date:  October 3, 2019

Label:  Wrong Notes Music

Website:  www.yuvalron.com

6-years in the making, progressive and jazz fusion guitarist, Yuval Ron has released six other-worldly arrangements sure to please staunch prog-rock enthusiasts and jazz aficionados alike. 

One look at the album art and a minute into the opening title track, you'll realize you're about to explore a new musical world and boldly go where no listener has gone before. You'll hear yodeling, synth landscapes, xylophone interludes, and virtuosic guitar riffs riding on the rhythm of thick, syncopating drumbeats. Along the journey, you'll experience moments of weightlessness followed by playful interludes followed by turbo thrusts where the universe flies past you in a blur. 

Like many of his influences, Yuval Ron has collaborated with several musicians in several bands, including the influential Residents of The Future. His talents cannot be constrained to the fixed structure of a single band. Yuval Ron assembles musicians for a project based on the vision in his head.

For Somewhere in the Universe Somebody Hits a Drum, he recruited renowned prog-rock drummer Marco Minnemann who has worked with Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, and others. Mr. Minnemann's influence is hard to ignore, providing the grounding for complex synth and guitar solos as well as flashes of brilliance such as "Wifi in Emerald City" when his drumming emerges into the forefront but does not overtake the composition. 

Not one of these six tracks sounds indulgent or derivative. Yuval Ron democratizes the talent he's assembled. He shares the spotlight, letting the solos fly and then return to form a colorful assembly of textured sound. You'll feel as if you're on a journey of discovery. You won't know where you are, you won't know where you're going, but you'll be thrilled to be on the ride.  

Key Tracks Include: “Gravitational Lensing”, “Wifi in Emerald City”, “I Believe in Astronauts”

Tom Endyke – MuzikMan.net Staff

October 3, 2019

Reviews Provided By:

The Final on Vinyl

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

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Tracks:
1. Somewhere in This Universe Somebody Hits a Drum
2. Gravitational Lensing
3. Kuiper Belt
4. WiFi in Emerald City
5. The Discovery of Phoebe
6. I Believe in Astronauts

Progressive Rock-Jazz -Fusion Review: Yuval Ron-Somewhere in the Universe Somebody Hits a Drum

Release Date:  October 3, 2019

Label:  Wrong Notes Music

Website:  www.yuvalron.com

6-years in the making, progressive and jazz fusion guitarist, Yuval Ron has released six other-worldly arrangements sure to please staunch prog-rock enthusiasts and jazz aficionados alike. 

One look at the album art and a minute into the opening title track, you'll realize you're about to explore a new musical world and boldly go where no listener has gone before. You'll hear yodeling, synth landscapes, xylophone interludes, and virtuosic guitar riffs riding on the rhythm of thick, syncopating drumbeats. Along the journey, you'll experience moments of weightlessness followed by playful interludes followed by turbo thrusts where the universe flies past you in a blur. 

Like many of his influences, Yuval Ron has collaborated with several musicians in several bands, including the influential Residents of The Future. His talents cannot be constrained to the fixed structure of a single band. Yuval Ron assembles musicians for a project based on the vision in his head.

For Somewhere in the Universe Somebody Hits a Drum, he recruited renowned prog-rock drummer Marco Minnemann who has worked with Steven Wilson, The Aristocrats, and others. Mr. Minnemann's influence is hard to ignore, providing the grounding for complex synth and guitar solos as well as flashes of brilliance such as "Wifi in Emerald City" when his drumming emerges into the forefront but does not overtake the composition. 

Not one of these six tracks sounds indulgent or derivative. Yuval Ron democratizes the talent he's assembled. He shares the spotlight, letting the solos fly and then return to form a colorful assembly of textured sound. You'll feel as if you're on a journey of discovery. You won't know where you are, you won't know where you're going, but you'll be thrilled to be on the ride.  

Key Tracks Include: “Gravitational Lensing”, “Wifi in Emerald City”, “I Believe in Astronauts”

Tom Endyke – MuzikMan.net Staff

October 3, 2019

Reviews Provided By:

The Final on Vinyl

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

Write A Music Review

Prog Rock Music Talk

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Rate The Tracks

Tracks:
1. Somewhere in This Universe Somebody Hits a Drum
2. Gravitational Lensing
3. Kuiper Belt
4. WiFi in Emerald City
5. The Discovery of Phoebe
6. I Believe in Astronauts