May 2023

 Best of the Week

North Atlantic Oscillation - United Wire

2023  10 tracks  (45:15)

NAO has always followed the beat of a different drummer - literally, as much of the rhythms are based on electronic sound blips in addition to a traditional trap set. With their Radiohead-esque soundscapes and vocals, they follow that niche that embraces a barren tune structure with complicated enhancements. When you are interested in listening to this type of music, so few artists fill the bill. This works. B+

Interesting Finds

Ian Neal - Barkston Ash

2022  6 tracks  (48:35)

Pure 80’s era prog rock, complete with soaring passages filled with Rick Wakeman keyboards, meandering music lines, occasional quick-picking guitar, and brief vocals used mostly to add a lushness. What it’s missing is a compelling musical path, providing glimpses of a hodgepodge of ideas that don’t connect consistently. The whole thing is rather - meh. C-

High Castle Teleorkestra - The Egg That Never Opened

2022  10 tracks (48:19)

Modern prog rock big opening, quick bass tapping thunder rock, countrified hoedown music, ballpark organ interlude, country fair accordion folk, early 60’s space rock - and that’s all in the opening title track. There is a lot going on that, unfortunately, leads to a lot of nothingness. 

Banco Del Mutto Soccorso - Orlando: Le Forme dell”Amore

2022  15 tracks  (1:16:01)

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this, but I found it unusually captivating. The tracks don’t have a standout and everything is sung in Italian, but it flows really well. Probably the closest comparison would be with earlier Genesis. Not bad. B-

Daniel Biro - Synthrospections 7

2022  1 track  (40:18)

Elements abound with signature Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schultze, Vangelis, all the synth greats in this one track journey. Obviously, it’s great listening for doing other tasks rather than sit down involved listening. B

Maraton - Unseen Color

2022  10 tracks  (45:17)

Elements of this title align well with another Norwegian band, A-Ha. The steady falsetto vocals and predominant keyboard rhythms and tempos are very similar. The song writing isn’t bad either.  The only issue is the lack of meat on the bone. “Blind Site” comes closest to being an all out rocker that sticks to the mind. B-

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Phideaux - Inquisitor

2018  10 tracks  (1:28:56)

Phideaux Xavier (orig Scott Riggs) has a few tricks up his sleeve besides coming up with a unique moniker. Definitely has prog rock theatrics written all over it with elaborate arrangements, extended songs with shifting melodies, and an overall theme throughout. Still, nothing jumped out as being spectacular and compelling enough to think about listening to it again. This is disappointing because clearly there is artistry here. C+

Forgettable