A Room with A View (Anubis, 2014)

This song by Australian band Anubis comes from the album "Hitchhiking to Byzantium" and is a long and mostly dreamy epic, featuring a lot of good musical themes with very well found changes throughout. Anubis come from strict Floydian worship, but they're getting more and more original. "A Room with A View" still feature Gilmour-esque guitars, but also pleasant piano touches, catchy country verses and flute zigzags à la Ian Anderson.

 

Being the follow-up of a very successful album, this work was

a serious challenge for our Aussie proggers...

 

The final picture is rather diversified but never incoherent, with a bonus Brit-pop smell now and then, a melodic trend I definitely like. Each theme is well exploited and cleverly linked to the following by by wide open instrumental passages and especially guitar solos. A sunny side of prog, a catchy and also smart way to write and perform our favourite genre today. IMHO, that's to say.

A Tower of Silence (Anubis, 2011)

Here's a slow, majestic, melodic song from a very interesting Australian sixpiece band. It's the title track of their second album and really shines for its vocal arrangements and its beautiful instrumental sections. The prog masters are there, of course, you'll find hints of Pink Floyd or Genesis music (even Alan Parsons Project's), but the whole lot is something new and modern, a translation, not a revival.

 

Anubis' second album cover art.

 

I especially appreciate the clear, neat sound and the calm lead vocals, but they all deserve a mention, these guys. There's also a very good fusion of electric and acoustic instruments, with - for example - a charming flute work over a keyboards background. It's relaxing, but also a deep invitation to meditation.