Reviews, Pt. 3

Part 1 -- Part 2 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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Next on the playlist!  These are all bands I've reviewed since the end of May.  Clicking on the album covers will take you directly to sites where you can sample or listen in full to each band's material.  The hyperlinks will take you to my reviews of their music.  Let me know what you think.

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Soup - The Beauty of Our Youth (Norway)

Wistful, ambient, and achingly gorgeous, The Beauty of Our Youth is a soundscape of purposeful orchestration, recalling the days of childhood and adolescence in a dreamlike haze of retrospective emotion.

Psycrence - A Frail Deception (Greece)

Psycrence write song-oriented metal, with composition, fury, and melody.  This is a young band with a personal sound, plenty of ability, and the ambition to write quality music in the voice they’ve found.

Yossi Sassi - Desert Butterflies (Israel)

Desert Butterflies has all the elements of music that I love: inventive use of themes, blurring of genre lines, technical performance, attentiveness to melody, and solid performance. The pioneer of "Oriental Rock," Yossi Sassi delivers a memorable sophomore album.

Jeff Green Project - Elder Creek (Ireland)

Elder Creek is a great example of new-wave or crossover prog, and tells a story of memory.  A unique mix of symphonic prog, psychedelic rock, folk ballad, and classical mythology, this is an uplifting album with the power to entertain, encourage, and invigorate.

Paving the Labyrinth - Polyopia (South Africa)

Paving the Labyrinth are a practiced and technical band with a strong debut album.  Polyopia is a combination of technical post-rock and melodic prog with an experimental edge, and will appeal to any fans of gritty, complex music.

Anton Roolaart - The Plight of Lady Oona (New York)

The Plight of Lady Oona is unique and ambitious, and ultimately an impressive album – easily one of my favorite releases of 2014.

Reviews, Pt. 2

Part 1 -- Part 3 -- Part 4 -- Part 5 -- Part 6 -- Part 7 -- Part 8 -- Part 9
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There's probably a better way to share these than in bunches, but I'd rather not make individual posts for each review.  I want maintain this blog as a venue for personal expression as opposed to transforming it into a forum for music reviews.

Regardless, in case anyone is interested, here's my latest round of reviews (since April 3rd).  For classic prog fans, I recommend Rocket Scientists and Láquesis.  For fans of blues rock, psychedelia, and quirky hooks, Marblewood or These Curious Thoughts.  Backhand is a bit of an enigma -- Latin metal with progressive elements, but a distinct bend toward songwriting.

I've also got albums from five more bands/artists currently on the table: Soup (Norway), Psycrence (Greece), Paving the Labyrinth (South Africa), Yossi Sassi (Israel), and Ghost Town Riot (Seattle).

If you take a listen to any of these, let me know what you think!

~*~

Láquesis - Láquesis (Argentina)

Láquesis is a strong debut release, full of powerful ballads, soft instrumentals, and enough musical technicality to satisfy fans of both classic and contemporary eras of progressive rock.

Rocket Scientists - Supernatural Highways (California)

Supernatural Highways is an invigorating, compelling, and thoroughly enjoyable EP, well-written and well-orchestrated, commemorating Rocket Scientists' 20th anniversary.

 Marblewood - Marblewood (Switzerland)

With song structures that are loose, fluid, and supremely high-energy, Swiss jamband Marblewood compose long, blues-influenced instrumentals well-suited to the live performance.

These Curious Thoughts - What is it, and how did it get in there? (UK/Detroit)

These Curious Thoughts write powerful compositions - indie/post-rock at its finest. What is it, and how did it get in there? is unique, strange enough to beg additional listens, and profound enough to demand a few more.

Backhand - Through the Turbulence (Venezuela/Canada)

Through the Turbulence accomplishes exactly what its title suggests: the album is full of frenetic solos and rapid sections, and deals with heavy thematic elements, but also showcases the musicians' appreciation for intense dynamic changes and quality songwriting.