The Light (Kansas, 2001)

Released as a digital single and also sdded as a bonus track to the Christmas album "Sounds Like Christmas" by The December People(see elsewhere in this blog), this song has a seasonal flavour, even if in a discreet way. It's a very good track, IMHO,  exploiting all the traditional features of Kansas, from Steve Walsh's powerful vocals to the melodic rock texture.

                            

This single came one year after the reunion album

"Somewhere to Elsewhere"

This catchy and bombastic ballad has a warming and strong arrangement, including symphonic interludes and arena rock solutions. The lyrics about the search of the light is inspired to the three kings' journey, but fits very well into any spiritual quest. A different and proggy way to Christmas, and another living proof of this band's energy and inspiration.

Египтянин / Egiptyanin (Пикник / Picnic, 2001)

Picnic (in Russian, Пикник) surely are one of the most eccentric and crossover bands from Eastern Europe. Their sound ranges between space rock and folk, including synth rock and many traditionally prog features.This is the title track from their eleventh studio album, obviously dedicated to the Ancient Egypt, one of the band's favourite topics.

This cover art reveals the ironic side of Picnic's songs.

The song has a rather traditional structure, a dreamy, catchy slow tempo ballad with a Floydian finale, where Edmund Shklyarskiy's guitar flies high above the listener. He even creates for this song a new instrument he calls novoegyptian to add a bit of visual show to the live performances. What I especially like in Picnic is the way they mix different elements to build up an evocative, arcane sound that also includes the right dose of irony. A theatrical way to (prog) rock Picnic never gave up during their long and everchanging career.

The Little Drummer Boy (The December People, 2001)

What on Earth "The Little Drummer Boy" is doing here? First things first: "The December People" are a project by Robert Berry, the American guitarist once involved with Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer in the short lived band called "3". He decided to set up a band of his own playing Christmas songs and carols in the style of the most celebrated classic rock bands. So, in their records you'll come across a "Silent Night" version sounding like "The Great Gig in The Sky", a "What Child Is This?" performance reminiscent of "The Lamb Lies down on Broadway" and even a "Stairway to Heaven"-ish reddition of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"!

This record has both Christmas and prog rock charms.

The band's still touring and recording this way and their best CD is, in my humble opinion, the debut album "Sounds Like Christmas", including all the above songs and gathering important guests like John Wetton and Steve Walsh. This version of "The Little Drummer Boy" in the wake of ELP is simply stunning. It's a real prog-ification of the innocent carol we all know, featuring all the explosive style of the powerful trio. Weird? Impossible? Mundane? Just listen to it and let me know...

Sobre los rieles (Subterra, 2001)

A very good and original way to neo-prog, this one. Subterra come from Chile (and their name from IQ?) and this "Sobre los rielos" (that's to say "On The Rails"), from the album "Sombras de invierno" ("Winter Shadows"), is a good and variated song. It starts with a long, atmospheric and rather dark intro, where the theatrical vocals of Max Sanchez go on very well with the keyboards background, then the rythm rises up and an instrumental section shows how good the musicians are, lining up alternate key and guitar solos.

"Sombras de inviero" was the first official album by Subterra.

A Marillion-like bass line rules the following sung section, a dense and dynamic one, moments before the heaviest section begins with a very well done wall of sound and a beautiful largo. The final part adds the sense of wonder a prog epic needs, and once again we appreciate the singer's skills. All in all, this is no revolution, but is a very pleasant way to render the (neo) prog lesson, Midway between Ange and IQ. Good idea.

Not of This World (Pendragon, 2001)

Here you are a three part suite by Pendragon, that's also the title track of their 2001 album. The first part is full of energy, an awesome instrumental intro one could put on the first page of a progressive rock handbook. Then the sung part comes in, a well found and lively melody, a hearty crescendo with an atmospheric interlude leading to the Ridi pagliaccio quotation. Clive Nolan does a great work on keyboards in the subsequent bridge, then the listener enjoys a typical Pendragon largo.

"Not of This World" was Pendragon's sixth official studio work.

The third part opens on a suspended mood and a new, calm and moody melody fills the air. Nick Barrett knows how to exploit those dreamy moments to put some feeling into his songs and, of course, to launch the final guitar solo, here doubled by vocals. That's Pendragon: you like them or you hate them, you loose yourself in their silky music or you throw away the CD. Guess what I do!

When I Meet God (Marillion, 2001)

Here's one of those songs I listen to very often and I like each time more. "Anoraknophobia" included two long tracks of this kind and they still are among my favs. The lyrics about human weakness and the slow, winding rythm  are luckily the first features the listener pick up from the song. Then the beautiful melody comes in... and I'm in a musical heaven.

Anoraknophobia deals with "Anoraks", meaning Marillion's fans

The verse, the chorus and the bridge are all so well written and the tempo change is so well set up that the whole track seems shorter than it actually is. Mark Kelly signs one of his best keyboard arrangements ever, full of what I'd call sense of wonder and of course the rest of the band are at their heigths too. The whole track is packed with original tricks and nonetheless is a fully enjoyable and catchy song. Another miracle by Marillion, I daresay.

Nostradamus (Mikromidas, 2001)

This is a band from Norway, and a very good one, IMHO. Sure, it's another case of vintage prog revival, but when such a task is accomplished with care and good taste it can lead to superb outfits, like the song I'm introducing here. The track itself comes from the album "Brennende Drømmer" ("Burning Dream" in English) and lines up a series of stunning "good old prog" solutions all along its 10 minutes or so. First of all, the Mellotron and assorted keys are great, opening the song and assuring its coherence until the very last second. A very well done work, Mr. Øystein Larsen!

 

It was the debut album for this Stavanger based band.

Then Halvard Jakobsen's and Ståle Leirtrø's guitars, gracing some of the best passages of the track, always keen and neat. The rest of the band also deserves the listener's attention and a special mention goes to Leirtrø's vocals, ranging from soft tones to high pitches and providing the right amount of emotions in both cases. In short, "Nostradamus" is another excellent choice for old progfans as myself.

The Cross & The Crucible (Pallas, 2001)

Pallas made their way into the progressive hearts thanks - among many other qualities - to their energy and to their brilliant tempo changes. That's exactly what you'll find in the title song of their 2001 album. A beautiful, deep background supports Alan Reed's vocals in the first part of the track, while the guitar and some pseudo-gregorian choirs introduce a largely instrumental final section, full of epic effects and including a wonderful guitar solo by Niall Mathewson.

"The Cross & The Crucible" was the fifth studio album by Pallas.

 

This song presents in a highly dynamic way the concept of the album, based on the double option of faith and science and on their relative risks. What I especially like here is the round, somewhat tridimensional sound, and also the pleasant contrast between smooth and rough instruments, something Pallas know how to set up since their debut album. Thank you for that, guys!

The Ghost & The Teenager (The Watch, 2001)

Simone Rossetti's band - once called The Nightwatch - is one of the best values in the Italian prog scene and "pour cause", as they say in France... or, as we could all say, for many good reasons. In fact, Simone's Gabriel-esque vocals and his undeniable charisma aren't the only merits of The Watch. This song, coming from the album "Ghost", will prove how good all the musicians are and how well found are all the musical themes. True, there's a very strong Genesis (mainly Gabriel's era) influence - something the band will soften during their career - but the composition has its own strength and the song is very well set up, featuring an effective piano and many tempo changes, so that even if the big picture is a familiar one, the track is a dynamic and unpredictable one. 

 

"Ghost" was the first album the band released as "The Watch".

The weird and dark lyrics add some more originality to "The Ghost & The Teenager", that's why I can't label this band as a mere Genesis clone: they actually got hold of the Charterhouse boys spirit and re-invented their beloved world from a new and genuine point of view. Just listen to the hunting keyboards, the sparkling rythm section or the uncanny guitar work in this song and I'm sure you'll ask for more. That's what I did, after all.

World without A Heart (The Flower Kings, 2001)

The Flower Kings like long and intricated epics, so that you won't find in their discography many traditionally written songs, but this is the case with the gentle song "World without A Heart", taken from the album "The Rainmaker". Of course, this is a Flower Kings' track, meaning that arrangements, sounds and architecture aren't so plain as they seem to be in the first place.

I like this dark artwork very much.

So, there are verse and chorus, but also an instrumental bridge full of original solutions; there's a catchy melody (especially in the chorus), but each minute of this song features clever interplays involving all the instruments and the vocal harmonies enhance Roine Stolt's mighty performance.A ballad, yes, but a prog one, with a beautiful atmosphere and a rich range of instruments and a good balance between acoustic and electric sounds. And the epics? Next time, my friends, let me enjoy this relaxing song once more...

Duel with The Devil (Transatlantic, 2001)

This epic, taken from "Bridge across Forever", the second album of the supergroup Transatlantic, is a five movement suite, probably one of their best compositions and performances and, IMHO, one of the best from any prog group of the 21th century. In a way, it's a very traditional prog epic, with all the most common ingredients of this genre in it: tempo changes, instrumental progressions, rock riffs, atmospheric ridges, epic lyrics, complex arrangements, returning melodies and so on. But it's a new and fresh song too, the real fruit of a cooperative work involving all the band members and full of joy, emotions, surprise and energy. That's why it can't possibly get old or trivial.

Transatlantic are, left to right, Pete Trewavas (Marillion & more),

Mike Portnoy (ex Dream Theater), Neal Morse (ex Spock's Beard)

and Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, Kaipa & more).

As those musicians are among the best ones in the current prog rock scene, when they work together and they share so many good ideas as in this suite, the outcome is simply stunning. "Duel with the Devil" is a challenging piece of music, with slow and fast movements and ever changing moods, also open to some jamming-born passages. So, classically ruled tunes follow jazzy, wild sections and also the instrumentation is unusually rich for the band, with additional violin, viola and cello by Chris Carmichael, Keith Mears' sax and even the charming Elite female choir. An abundance that never becomes confusion or musical pastiche, a variety that prevents tiredness and boredom.

If I Were The Wind (Pendragon, 2001)

This is what I call a beautiful prog song. It's roughly divided in three parts: the long and magic intro where Nick Barrett and Co. draw a stormy landscape, then the main sung theme, tight and enthralling with its rock guitar, finally a melodic, piano driven sung theme. There's magic in this song, in each part of it, and there's also passion, specially conveyed by Barret's vocal interpretation, full of warm tones and inner shades.

A very good pic recently posted by Nick in his own blog on Pendragon's site:

www.pendragon.mu

Yes, this is the little, big miracle of Pendragon's best tracks: epic and intimacy go on together so well. "If I Were The Wind" (taken from "Not of This World" album) provides a great deal of both and from the very first chord it wipes out the grey real world and carries the listener to a keen, colourful planet in the galaxy of prog rock. That's why I like this band and I'll always be grateful for their music.