Cooperativa del Latte, Italy

Neo Italian prog

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Latest album: Fogli d​’​Acqua Sparsi (2023)

OK, this is getting crazy. But in this case, here's a group who only released one album back in 1998, and completely disappeared... until now. And the new album was released back in July! To think I used to keep up with all new releases - like in 1996 haha.

Il Risveglio (1998)

Two months after the return of Cooperativa del Latte, their debut album came up for collection review. I don't think I've heard this since first acquiring the CD back in 2000. The album definitely belongs to the 90s Italian prog renaissance. Comparisons to Aria Palea, Germinale, Malibran, and Finisterre wouldn't be out of place. CdL are little bit more focused on retro instrumentation, in particular the keyboards (organ, analog synth, piano). However it's also a bit more tepid in its approach. The meter shifts are more carefully studied, the vocals are more subdued, the rhythms are less complex. The electric guitar has a 90s tinge to it. On the flipside, the use of flute and acoustic guitar add much to its 70s authenticity, which is a plus. Final track is also quite beautiful. Given its place in the Italian prog timeline, this one is worthy of further exploration.

---2/21/24

12/31/23 (new entry)

Dialeto, Brazil

Progressive rock

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Latest release: Pandelirium (2024)

And here we go again with yet another band I wasn't aware were still kicking around. I bought the LP below when it came out. I knew they reformed but really haven't followed them since. Will need to catch up.

Dialect (1991)

Dialect sounds like a heavy psych version of King Crimson's Discipline. I also hear the absolute best moments from the Brazilian neo psych band Violeta de Outono. Highly original album, especially considering the date. 

The band rerecorded portions of this album in 2008 under the band name Dialeto with the title "Will Exist Forever". Too bad they didn't reissue this original recording, as it's quite good.

To be clear, Will Exist Forever is not the same album. The label says: "Nova versão desse clássico disco progressivo nacional, lançado originalmente pela Faunus Records com o nome Dialect, teve regravadas todas as vozes, guitarras adicionais e violinos. Ou seja, um disco totalmente reformado e com uma qualidade de som bem melhor. O CD traz ainda duas músicas bônus, "Just For Free" (um improviso gravado na época na mesma sessão) e "Animal" em português. Edição limitada de 500 cópias em formato mini-LP.". With Google Translate's help, the key translation is: "re-recorded all the voices, additional guitars and violins. Ie, a disk with a completely remodeled and better sound quality.". Re-recording voices and adding instruments makes it a different album.

---1/13/11

12/31/23 (new entry)

Echolyn, USA-Pennsylvania

Progressive rock

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Latest album: I Heard You Listening (2015). Word around the campfire says to expect a new album in 2024.

Suffocating the Bloom (1992)

Echolyn are/were one of those bands that I was dictated to that I must like, but I just never could get into them much. Some 30 years has passed, so I think its time for an objective listen at my advanced age. Mannn... I still don't get them! At least on this album. But I do see the allure. One cannot accuse Echolyn of not giving it their all. They are talented - this is obvious - and their brand of the Midwest variation of Gentle Giant should push every button I possess. But it doesn't. Why? Not really sure. It's overly vocal oriented which can be a turnoff for me. They don't let the instruments breathe. Their melodic style doesn't resonate either. I can honestly say I like the album, but it isn't next level for me. I fear to say I have to move on from this album. Maybe other albums will trigger the right emotion, but Suffocating the Bloom never did.

---5/20/24

Other albums heard: Echolyn (1991); As the World (1995)

12/31/23 (new entry)

Aziola Cry, USA-Illinois

Prog metal

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Latest release: The Ironic Divide (2021). Reading they plan to release a new album in 2024.

Another band I had no idea were still around. Great to see so many of these groups hanging in there.

Ellipsis (2005)

Aziola Cry are a band from Chicago who took instrumental mid 70s King Crimson as a blueprint - and who were lead by a stick bass player - and then added a heavy metal undertone. It's "so 2005". I kind of like it anyway.

---10/13/16

12/31/23 (new entry)

Djam Karet, USA-California

Space rock; Progressive electronic; Progressive rock

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Latest release: Island in the Red Night Sky (2022)

Regenerator 3017 (2014)

Regenerator 3017 is a good example of an album I had zero recollection of. I had categorized in my space rock collection, like many of their others. Wrong. This is a mellow instrumental progressive rock, oftentimes falling into jazz fusion or even jazz funk. Plenty of great lead guitar that the band is known for, along with mellotron and thoughtful rhythms. This was their 30th Anniversary album that flew under the radar. I bought it dutifully when it came out and didn't give it the proper attention. This was to be the last Djam Karet album for me to buy, and that is likely to remain the case. I find it makes an excellent bookend to my already extensive collection by the group. A good place to rest.

---12/30/23

Recollection Harvest (2005)

Quite possibly Djam Karet's finest album and catches the group at their peak. Made up of two separate musical approaches, the title work is a retro instrumental prog that reminds me some of the classic 70s Dutch scene. The melodic quotient is very high here. 'Indian Summer' is the other concept, and here we're treated to an electronic rock style similar to Heldon or even late 70s Tangerine Dream.

---1/31/24

The Devouring (1997)

When this came out, I think we were all relieved that Djam Karet were back on track. Even to this day, it's arguable that The Devouring is their most fully realized work. The opening 3 tracks are brilliant hard rock / psychedelic / progressive instrumental tracks. It would be tough to expect them to maintain that pace, but the album miraculously never wanders off too much, though it gets a bit samey towards the end. I have most of the Djam Karet catalog, but I'm not sure how much will stick around. But for certain this, along with the first one I bought - Reflections from the Firepool, most certainly will.

---6/11/20

Suspension & Displacement (1991) 

Bought this when it came out, famously with its cousin CD Burning the Hard City. For most of that time since, I held the other CD as the better of the two. Now I'm not so sure. My mental image of Suspension & Displacement was that of a boring electronic / space rock album. But I had dismissed the full band effort here, and there are many organic moments, including much needed warmth instruments like acoustic guitar. A definite +2, and I have a whole new outlook on this, some 31 years after the fact.

---4/9/22

Reflections from the Firepool (1995)

Reflections from the Firepool is where Djam Karet went pro. Prior to this, their releases had been more jam oriented, with far less focus on composition and melody. It's also the album where I was first introduced to this fine long running band from California. I picked up the CD from a mail order dealer not long after release (be sure to see the "more section" below), and was subsequently blown away.

To understand this, one must go back to 1989. It was a time of optimism for many reasons, but all one needs to remember was the basic collapse of The Warsaw Pact on a nearly weekly basis. Tyranny was out and Freedom was in. On the music front, after years of dormancy, the psychedelic guitar was being brought back to prominence. Djam Karet, along with Tangle Edge and Ozric Tentacles were leading the charge and using the instrument not just as an accent, but rather as a focal point. This wasn't the 80s indie rock / neo psych hybrid that was popular with the post New Wave crowd, on the contrary, these new groups had in mind Ash Ra Tempel, Amon Duul II, and Gong - along with other such great bands from the early 1970s.

'The Sky Opens Twice' is a perfect opener. As I read other reviews, there seems to be a unanimous chorus that the album is nothing more than loose instrumentals. This is far from the case here. While certainly there are some incendiary guitar jams sprinkled throughout, that of course is what this listener (and my peers) would hope for. The payoff of the investment as it were. Other highlights include 'Run Cerberus Run' and the title track. Perhaps only 'All Doors Look Alike' with its incongruous free sax blowing on part 1, and the second half of 'Scenes From the Electric Circus' aren't up to snuff (though the first part of this track is super).

All in all, Reflections from the Firepool is the album that put Djam Karet on the map. They sort of lost their way in the early 90s, only to come back ferociously with The Devouring, and never looked back again. For my tastes, Reflections From the Firepool is a very important work of the latter 80s, which ushered in numerous other bands who followed suit in the very interesting and productive 1990s.

---7/30/18

The Ritual Continues (1987)

After purchasing Reflection from the Firepool I immediately went back to the mail order dealer and acquired the tape of its predecessor, which is the album of today's discussion. That tape is slightly different than the CD I now possess (which wasn't released until 1993), but essentially is similar from a musical perspective. This album captures Djam Karet going from the raw jams of their debut tape No Commercial Potential to the relatively composed Reflections from the Firepool. Opener 'Shamen's Descent' is arguably the finest track here, mixing the exotic psychedelic jam with progressive rock complexity. 'Technology and Industry' is another highlight. If you do have the CD, then you'll be treated to the most Krautrock oriented song in 'Tangerine Rabbit Jam' performed by Happy Cancer, who is Djam Karet's direct ancestor. Some of the album can meander a bit, but it's in the spirt of naïve exploration, a most welcome trait in an era that frowned on such activity. Had this been a newer release, I wouldn't be overly enthused, but given its place in history, I feel the album deserves much praise. An enjoyable album throughout and one of America's pioneers of new psychedelic oriented music.

---9/7/23

No Commercial Potential (1985)

Djam Karet's debut album, the cassette No Commercial Potential, was a true anomaly when released in 1985. The concept of long form, psychedelic guitar driven rock instrumentals, was an extinct concept in the mid 1980s. Whereas LS Bearforce released the homage to early Guru Guru in 1983, Djam Karet had taken the idea of combining mid period King Crimson mixed with any number of west coast late 60s psychedelia bands. And yes, with more than a hint of Krautrock as well. Djam Karet were born out of a (still operating) California record store, and it's no accident they possessed the historical capacity for musical research. Quite simply, they were considerably ahead of their time, and by the 90s many were following their lead, arguably to lesser success. It must be said, the title is as accurate as any in history.

---8/12/17

Jan 2017 (new entry)

Viima, Finland

Progressive rock; Prog folk

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Latest release: Väistyy Mielen Yö (2024). 

Ajatuksia Maailman Laidalta (2006)

It’s getting to the point that everything that’s from Finland is great. They are to the current decade what the French were to the 1980s. And thank goodness for that. Wasn’t sure what to expect here. Was told it was Finnish folk prog, and about the only band I associate with that is the obscure and rare Scapa Flow. It’s not really like that however. Even though it’s sung in beautiful Finnish, the album has more of a UK feel than one from continental Europe. The female vocals are one distinguishing factor. What’s interesting to me are the guitar breaks, which are rooted in hard rock – a clear departure from the acoustic folk psych of the base material. I quite liked this one.

---Dec 2006

11/25/23 (new entry)

Hamadryad, Canada-Quebec ***Inactive***

Progressive rock

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Latest release: The Black Hole (2017)

The band is still posting so we'll assume they haven't completely called it a day. But they haven't played in many years.

Safe in Conformity (2005)

Hamadryad's second album primarily swirls around the mid 70s Genesis era of Trick of the Tail. There's the faux mellotron, familiar Collins-esque vocals, and Hackett styled guitar. There's also some muscular early 70s heavy prog in the Uriah Heep sense of the word. And the other diversion is about two-thirds of the way through, where they go all-in Rush but with a bit of prog metal thrown in. It's definitely a shoehorn, but it adds diversity on a continuous listen. Safe in Conformity is the kind of album that grows in stature with time, as it has done with me. A keeper.

---6/1/20

Conservation of Mass (2001)

I have quite a few albums in the collection that I'm most excited to hear - many of them I anticipate are better than I have them rated. This is yet another album I haven't heard since it first came out. So 22 years later we have our second visit. I'm much more familiar with their follow up effort Safe in Conformity. My notes for that album are above.

On their debut, Hamadryad start with a heavier Rush like sound and move gradually over to Yes, rather than Genesis. It's a busy album with lots of time changes, harmonies, instrumentation, and a myriad of ideas. There's much to absorb here. I listened twice in a row, thus tripling my familiarity lol. Easy +1 listen and my self-prophesy of the album being higher rated than I had it was fulfilled.

---12/24/23

12/24/23 (new entry)

Gösta Berlings Saga, Sweden

Post rock; Avant prog; Retro prog

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Latest release: Konkret Music (2020). New album slated for 2024

Glue Works (2011)

As mentioned on the Detta har Hänt review, Gösta Berlings Saga seemed to be moving away from their Swedish folk roots and more towards modern post rock. And now they've jumped off the cliff and thrown their lot in with this latter movement. A wall of sound approach, with mid 70's King Crimson and late 90's Anekdoten references everywhere. I'm sure the intensity of playing this music can be quite inspiring, if not emotionally exhausting - but as a listener it can stray towards the mundane after a few minutes of the same pattern. 

All of which sounds like I'm low on this album. I'm not. But given the immense promise the debut demonstrated, it's very disappointing to be here. I do enjoy, however, the Zeuhlish closer 'Sorterargatan 1'.

Detta har Hänt (2009)

Two albums in now, and I can honestly say Gösta Berlings Saga has never written a song that has blown me away. Nor have they played anything I didn't like at all. Strange. A new guitarist is in, but mostly the music has stayed the same from the debut. I'd say the "Swedish-ness" has been removed and that's a step backwards for me. And perhaps the post rock tag could be applied in various places (yawn). There's a certain driving monotony to it all. But again, we're in familiar progressive rock territory for most of the album. It seems they're on the cusp of releasing one of the best albums of the last 10 years, but they hold back just a bit too much.

'Sorterargatan 3' has a nice repetitive groove to build upon, the kind that made some of those classic 70s albums so good (think Magma). Or a modern band like DFA. 'Bergslagen' is closest to the debut with mellotron and a hint of Swedish deep-in-the-forests type melodies and atmospheres. Best track on the album. 'Västerbron 05:30' features some aggressive guitar soloing that I found refreshing. There also seems to be more of an Anekdoten influence (first 2 albums) than prior.

Tid Är Ljud (2006)

Gösta Berlings Saga could be considered the perfect modern Swedish progressive rock band. They look inward towards their own country for melodic inspiration, rather than the UK/US style of groups like The Flower Kings. Second album Kebnekaise is about where they land on the Swedish scale, but Gösta Berlings Saga are far more symphonic than that may imply. They use plenty of vintage instrumentation (as expected, primarily in the keyboard department with mellotron, Rhodes and various Moogs), yet the production and overall sound has a modern sensibility. Gösta Berlings Saga are one of the few groups of our era that do not belong to a current sub-genre, such as post rock, prog metal, neo, avant, retro / proto, jazz/fusion etc... They are, in fact, a straight ahead progressive rock group. They have respect for the 1970s, but aren't stuck in it. This might all seem like we're smack dab in the middle of our interest area, and thus might be a little boring or uninspired. And yet it's not at all that way, proving that the old recipes are generally better than the new concoctions. A pretty new room in an old house.

It's near impossible to pick highlights. All of the tracks are remarkably consistent, though by no means samey sounding. I will also allow that there's no drop dead killer tracks either. 'Helgamarktz' & 'Syrenernas Sång' lay the foundation of what Tid Är Ljud is about and if you like these two, it's highly likely you'll love the rest. 'Aniarasviten' has a stunning melody as its centerpiece, to an overall excellent moody composition. 'Ljud Från Stan' is more of a psychedelic jam rock piece, with fine guitar and Rhodes soloing. Gösta Berlings Saga shines in this setting and are able to maintain the intensity necessary. 'Tog du Med dig Naturen?' & 'Knölsvanen' seem to blow by, without having much impact. They're both fine tracks, and perhaps it's their placement that keeps them from standing out, even on multiple successive listens. 'Svarta Hål och Elljusspår' adds flute to great effect, providing the right soft focus lead instrument Gösta Berlings Saga definitely needs to get to the next level. All in all, a highly recommended album.

6/24/11 (new entry) 

Present, Belgium

Zeuhl; Avant Prog; Chamber rock

Latest release: This is Not the End (2024). To be released 3/29/24.

Certitudes (1998)

It was sometime in 1985, while visiting my favorite underground record store in Dallas (Record Gallery for those that were there), that I first discovered Le Poison Qui Rend Fou. Everything about it was new to me - the album, the band, the label (Cuneiform), and the music (what later would be dubbed avant prog). For me it was a new kind of complex progressive rock, and one that captured my 20 year old mind's imagination greatly. Unfortunately that seemed to be about it for Present. I later learned about their considerably more obscure debut (at the time) and their association with a one Univers Zero, a group I began to seek and collect as well. Present did pop up here and there in the next decade performing music that was not necessarily "Present-like", including the rather interesting Live blues rock album that I've written about on this blog already. So it was with much excitement that Present returned to form on 1998's Certitudes. This was the sound of Le Poison Qui Rend Fou moved forward. The complex layering, the haunting vocals (male instead of female though), the pounding piano, the searing electric guitars, and the impossible rhythms. This is the Present I first discovered and loved. The primary problem with a band such as Present is the music isn't particularly memorable. When one thinks to pull out an album such as Certitudes, the mind goes into this jumbled mess. Knowing that yes, this is sophisticated music, and the instrumentation is correct. But memorable melodies and passages? No.

But Certitudes is special to me for another reason, beyond the return to my mid 80s exploratory years. One fine evening in May of 1998, the band performed live in what was then our current home town of Denver. At that time I'd been married for just over a year. My wife, never one to embrace the music I enjoy, was still open minded about going to concerts and trying different things. I took her to this Present concert. It was an incredibly intense show resembling the Certitudes album (and with local Denver mover and shaker Dave Kerman on the drum kit, replacing Daniel Denis). During the show, while I was certainly enjoying myself, I began to really worry about my wife, as I suspected it was just too much for her young and untrained ears (fortunately we brought ear plugs). After the show, I asked her what she thought. She said it was really good, very different and intense, but she really appreciated the effort and the authenticity of the band. Wow! Fast forward 22+ years, just as I was to pop this into the CD changer (for the first time in the same 22 years), I asked her if she remembered the concert. She did and recollected pretty much the same sentiment. Again, I was surprised, as it's hardly been a Happy-Hour discussion topic. Funny though, she wasn't clamoring to join me on the listening session... 

And for all the reasons above, this is why I tend to revere Certitudes as one of Present's best efforts.

Live! (1996)

An interesting live album from Belgium's Present. Sounding more like a psychotic blues rock take on their first 2 albums, the album has a rawness and deep soul missing from their studio works. Present always sounded to me like a typical mathy, ultra precise, avant prog unit. Here, they sound a bit messy, and even give into the odd guitar jam, just the kind of dirty soot the band needs. I've had this CD since it first came out, and never held it among the finest of their works, but I'm hearing it in a whole different light this go round. Hmm.

Triskaidekaphobie (1980)

Only a European band whose roots are clearly planted in the Rock in Opposition movement would name their album after the fear of the number 13 - in French of course. Perhaps the listener will have the same fear as they are greeted with rhythms performed in 13/16. Present's debut is a hellish music where the blueprint is clearly Univers Zero, who are a direct parent on the ancestry chart. A blueprint that is dragged through King Crimson's 'Fracture' for the ultimate bad trip. Bad trip as translated in the avant prog language I mean...

6/13/16; 7/15/16 (new entry); 12/14/20

Dungen, Sweden

Neo psych 

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Latest release: En är för Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog (2022)

En är för Mycket och Tusen Aldrig Nog (2022)

In hearing their latest album, I thought Dungen might be headed in a folk rock direction, but ultimately they reel themselves back to their Swedish psychedelic pop core. I wasn't really in the market for another Dungen album, but a local record store had it, so why not give it a shot. While this isn't their best work - not even close really - it's still excellent. Which just demonstrates how high up the mountain Dungen can get at times. Hard to know when to stop with this group. They continue to age tremendously well.

Häxan (2016)

Dungen's CV for over a decade will read as a modern take on the 1971 Silence Records stable mixed with Mikael Ramel's Till Dej. The fact that the band defiantly sings in their native Swedish, and still manages to have a large cult following even here in America is something quite extraordinary. But what if the band decided to remove the songs and lyrics? Häxan is the answer to that question. Gustav Ejstes and company have provided their musical interpretation of a 1920's era animated German film. And the German reference can be taken even further, as this is spot on Krautrock from the Kosmische Kourier era. It has that warm analog feeling with the biting psychedelic fuzz edge juxtaposed against the wavering flute throughout. There are beautiful melodies and soundscapes, but little that would typically qualify as a traditional "song". So journey south with Dungen from Stockholm to Berlin and enjoy Häxan. I can listen to music like this endlessly.

Allas Sak (2015)

After a 5 year break, we receive Dungen's 7th studio album, though if we're to use their numbering system, I suspect they would say it's their 6th (witness album called 4). No matter as Dungen continue with their brand of Swedish psychedelic progressive... pop. The latter perhaps a bit more pronounced this time, especially on the opening trio of tracks. I still can't get over just how popular Dungen are (including a guest appearance on prime time USA late night TV). Me and about 20 other people from Sweden have a full collection of this kind of Swedish psych from 1970-1974, sung in the native tongue. Not a single album anyone would ever have heard of today. Speaking of which, it took me 10 years to figure this out, but now I know precisely where Gustav Ejstes got his main ideas from. If you're a big fan of Dungen, then you should make an effort to hear this album Till dej, one I assure you Gustav has framed on his wall at home.

As mentioned, there is quite a bit more pop this time around than prior, though there is plenty for the more adventurous listener to dig their teeth into. 'Franks Kaktus' is an absolutely stunning instrumental and among Dungen's finest compositions to date. 'En gång om året' is the mournful downer Scandinavian psych that is Dungen's signature sound. 'Åkt dit' gives us the requisite mellotron drenched sound we so crave. 'En dag på sjön' reminds us just how popular Santana's fusion era was in Sweden in the early 70s (think the live Lotus album here). 'Sova''s attempt at a psychedelic ending is admirable, though ultimately boring, and the fast forward button was looked at. More than once.

Dungen 4 (2008)

I went into hearing this album with some trepidation. I've been fond of Dungen almost from their beginning and held them as one of the best of the neo psych groups of the last 20+ years. A couple of months ago, their second album Stadsvandringar showed up as a random pick. And even though I had it as their lowest rated album, most assuredly a revisit would bring it up a notch. That didn't happen. In fact the opposite and I sold it. My fear at that point is that I had inflated the group in my mind. That they really weren't that special. Just another garden variety psych band that perhaps I was elevating due to a lack of similar bands during an era when more were needed.

Now Dungen 4 comes up. Here we go... And right away all my fears subsided. This is a completely different sound. One that I'm going to struggle to define. I listened to it 5 times in a row (!) and it resulted in a +1 rating. Keep in mind it was already rated very high. It reached the top echelon of 5 stars / Gnosis 13+. The music is highly melodic, the instrumentals are very psychedelic, the sound is analog perfect. Gustav Ejstes and Reine Fiske have multiple peak moments throughout. The songwriting is almost that of the mid to late 60s orchestrated pop era - a little bit tying in with the Japanese Shibuya-kei movement. The music texture is heavily influenced by the Swedish masters of the past like Parson Sound and Algarnas Tradgard, except it sounds nothing at all like them. This isn't avant garde in the least. There are not many albums that I need 5 listens to work out in my head and continue to enjoy each one better than the last. But Dungen 4 is one of them. Now I cannot wait to hear the other Dungen albums in my collection (most of them), as it's possible they too may enjoy a +1. Even those I've already written thoroughly about.

Stadsvandringar (2002)

Dungen is a band that has aged incredibly well for me. Each revisit is a revelation. Stunning mix of neo psychedelia, murky Swedish folk, and late 60s Brill Building pop. Some of their albums have scaled the Gnosis 13 self actualization level. But this second album has always left me flat. Almost inexplicable.

11/3/15 (new entry); 2/24/18; 9/29/22; 4/10/23; 12/22/23

Kubusschnitt, Europe

Berlin School Electronic

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Latest release: The Core (2022)

The Singularity (2001)

At first I thought The Singularity was going to be very similar to The Cube but it began to capture my imagination. An electronic album made up from a quartet is rare enough, and there's plenty of great guitar to offset the sequencers. The group sounds inspired here, and I get the impression this is considered one of their best albums, if not the best. And they have many releases, including recently.  Released during the heyday of the Berlin School Revival. This album makes the cut and will likely be the sole representation of Kubusschnitt in my physical collection. Interesting for me, that in those same 2005 notes, I called out The Cube as the better album. Tastes evolve...

The Cube (2000)

Rock solid sequencer/guitar based EM music. Hodgepodge Euro group. Four members adds a lot of synergy. Both are easily recommended to RMI fans (and others similar). Some great driving the Interstate music.

5//05; 12/7/23 (new entry)

Zopp, England

Canterbury; Retro prog

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Latest release: Live at the Sumac Centre (2023). Released Dec 1.

Zopp (2020)

Just like yesterday's La Maschera di Cera, Zopp are a band designed specifically for a progressive rock sound of the 1970s past. In this case it's the music of Canterbury - and even more to the point, National Health. It's a two piece group lead by Ryan Stevenson, who plays every instrument under the sun, including a host of analog keyboards (or simulations thereof), fuzz bass, and lead electric guitar. Essentially Stevenson is Zopp. Joining him in this endeavor is drummer Andrea Moneta, who does a fine job of maintaining the polyrhythms expected of the genre. In this way Ryan Stevenson is emulating another Englishman, a one Andrew Marshall, he of Willowglass fame. Marshall is all about Anthony Phillips era Genesis in the same manner that Stevenson is all about National Health. A bit obsessive, but very welcome to these ears anyway. In addition to the two piece, Stevenson recruited no less than 4 others to join him, most notably Andy Tillison of The Tangent and others. The album has a full sound, what you would expect from a much larger ensemble. All the great qualities of Canterbury are present including the wedgy analog sounds, the insouciant melodies, and the complexity of composition. For what Zopp set out to accomplish, they nailed it! I seem to never tire of the Canterbury genre, as it's a timeless and beautiful sound. It doesn't seem fair that we only got two studio National Health albums (not counting DS Al Coda or archival material of course). I mean if precisely one million bands and artists can copy the same old American Idol fare, it's not too much to ask for some small Canterbury portions is it? Zopp fits most comfortably with contemporary Italian and Spanish artists such as Moogg, Homunculus Res, and Planeta Imaginario. Easy recommendation for genre fans.

1/26/21; 6/16/23 (new entry)

Arabs in Aspic, Norway

Retro prog hard rock

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Latest album: The Magic of Sin (2023). Released Dec 1.

Pictures in a Dream (2013)

Robert Fripp has stated that Larks' Tongues in Aspic means: "Something precious which is stuck, but visible. Something precious which is encased in form."  So with that heady bit of insight, it's obvious to me that Arabs in Aspic means... yea, I have no idea either. [shrug]

But what is "in aspic" is the band's ability to recreate the sounds of the 1970s. Specifically the American FM sound of 1975 and '76. Despite being from Norway, Arabs in Aspic are yet another band that would fit well in my USA Midwest / Ontario Progressive Rock (1970's/early 80s) list. Sounds odd doesn't it? Well... it's not as strange as it may first appear.

In 1990, in my European backpacking days, I was on an overnight train from Oslo to Bergen. And I befriended a nice looking couple who I thought might be American. They didn't look American (jeans and white tennis shoes were still strictly the provenance of Americans in those days), but they sure did sound like it. So I ventured into conversation with them - both college kids and only a few years younger than I at the time. They went on to explain that they not only learn English, but "American English" in school. Crap - they spoke the language better than I did (do)!

So a band from Norway being able to immerse themselves completely into the American mindset isn't that far fetched at all. Note I said the FM sound of America - not just bands from the USA. To me Arabs in Aspic have carved a niche out of something very familiar - somewhere between Pink Floyd, Kansas, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, and Led Zeppelin. It's a fascinating blend - like mixing a new drink with common ingredients.

Sure, you say, but most of those bands were British and they were popular everywhere, right? True. But Arabs in Aspic remind me of those US bands that tried, successfully or unsuccessfully, to copy them. A deep diver may call out other 70s Norwegian bands like Host, Aunt Mary, or Ruphus, but that's not it... I hear the music here as something created in North America - not in Europe. Even more so than Black Bonzo, who came close, but still sounded "English". Seriously.

(Of note, they threw in two tracks with Norwegian vocals, that completely changes the tone of the music. For me, I'd like to hear more of this trend.)

To approach the album properly, I would probably avoid thinking of it as "progressive rock". More like "classic rock".

9/4/13 (new entry)