Funeral (Mice on Stilts, 2016)

 Let's explore something from the dark, even mourning side of prog. "Hope for A Mourning" was the second album by Mice on Stilts, the brainchild of singer, writer and guitarist Ben Morley and one of the most interesting acts from New Zealand in recent years. Sure, the sombre atmosphere of "Funeral" reminds me of some Scandinavian bands from the '90s, but there is a special, thougtful way here, both melancholy and dreamy. 

What a beautiful and inspiring cover art!

Despite the mournful titles of both the song and the album, there is less proper grief than spiritual abandon in this music, like in a  misty dawn over still waters. It's an intimate journey, a dreamlike meditation and still we're far from the minimal approach of ambient music. The melody line and the arrangements are rich and set on a slow paced crescendo that drags the listener's soul through dramatic landscapes and a growing sense of wonder. A beautiful, enriching experience.

Out of The Woods (Airlord, 1977)

Airlord are one of those Oceanian bands mixing with indisputable skills symphonic rock, pastoral moods and good old pop. Just like Sebastian Hardie (see in this blog) did in Australia and during the same years, Airlord imported prog in New Zealand (and then in Australia, where their career actually grew) and set up an enthralling, alternating style, including mellotron work, sudden rythmic changes, beautiful guitar solos, bluesy echoes and a good deal of vocal harmonies.

This artwork reminds me of Moody Blues...

This lushing list is all here, in this six minutes song coming from the only LP the band released in their career, back in 1977, titled "Clockwork Revenge". You'll find an everchanging plot, with some beautiful highlights like the heartwarming guitar solo, some liquid bass lines and of course the folkish opening vocals. There's a bit of early Genesis, a pinch of Moody Blues and even a touch of Canterbury scene, all that presented in a song-oriented package. I do think Airlord are worth a careful listening.

Ladies of The Night (Airlord, 1977)

Musical life wasn't easy for prog bands in New Zealand back in the mid-Seventies. That's why Airlord had to move to Australia and never released a second work after their intriguing "Clockwork Revenge" album. "Ladies of The Night" is a fully progressive and highly diversified epic, including all the main elements I like in such a song. First of all, there's a very good songwriting, that's to say beautiful melodies and well found variations.

This band split up in 1978 and never re-united, as far as I know.

Then, a special mention goes to the arrangements, ranging from atmospheric passages to memorable solo guitars. The symphonic structure of the track is cleverly empowered with arena rock sounds, Genesis-like vocals and - last but not least - a big deal of enthusiasm. True, the fantasy concept about weird toys and wicked clockworks fighting their human masters is beyond me, but this is part of the game, after all!

Universal Radio (Dragon, 1974)

Here's a very interesting band coming from New Zealand and whose first albums featured a soft kind of prog rock, including Floydian ballads, jazzy bridges and many space rock moments. This is the title track of their debut album, released in 1974. You'll find a good mix of the above elements, and also a vague scent of Camel and BJH here and there.

Something between Donald Duck and a Super Robot anime...

The rythm section provides a diversified and fluid background, while the acoustic guitar pleasantly intertwines the organ in the quietest passages. Really, this is not brand new, but so beautiful and familiar, so well set up and arranged that I always listen to it with an inner delight. The only conflicting thing here is the band name, unless peaceful and dreaming dragons exist... but who cares?

Fenris (Ragnarok, 1975)

Kiwi prog scene probably is the least known among the progressive scenes of English speaking Countries. That said, Ragnarok have their worldwide cult fandom and I think they deserve far more than this. They had an original style, somewhere between space rock, mainstream rock and prog. They created a special sound, full of good melodies and strong constrasts. See how they mix acid riffs and celestial keys un this "Fenris", listen to Lea Maalfrid's beautiful voice, a female version of Geddy Lee's (or a male version of Jon Anderson's? lol...).

This track comes from Ragnarock's self titled debut album.

What I actually like here is the sense of proportion: never too rock, never too electronic, an excellent mix of guitars and keys, rythmic background and melodic lines, finally a perfect balance between sung and instrumental sections. P.S.: Not to be confused with a bunch of other bands bearing the same name. Probably our friends from Auckland started a trend and they did it without knowing.

Look What I've Done (Think, 1976)

Think were a short lived band from Auckland, New Zealand, and their only album, called "We'll Give You A Buzz" brings back in 1976 the proto-prog sounds, providing a fresh, melodic art-rock. This song, for example, is full of nice passages, featuring a very good sung melody and a charming keyboard solo, plus a well conceived architecture. The vocal harmonies are pleasant too and very well found, while the electric guitar adds a slightly acid taste to the song.

I highly recommend the whole album to my prog friends.

Beyond the hippy flavours and Ritchie Pickett's excellent vocals, this track suggests a calm - still never too relaxed - mood, something like a liquid sound, a placid and powerful river. Maybe I should dig a little more into less known prog scenes. At the moment, I'll listen to this beautiful song once more. Will you?

Stuff And Nonsense (Split Enz, 1979)

Split Enz are one of the very few prog related bands from New Zealand. They were a very eclectic group, playing almost everything: pop, mainstream rock, new wave, art rock and, of course, an easy-going version of progressive rock. This song, taken from the album "Frenzy", is a good specimen of the latter. It sounds a little like Supertramp meet Bee Gees, but the orchestral side here is more discreet and the melody is sadder. A short instrumental bridge, anyway, gives a deeper touch to what we could call an easy song with a special feeling.

"Frenzy" was probably the last prog related album by Split Enz.

The sung theme is excellent, the piano touches are classy, the vocals are warm and neat, the way they used to be in the '70s, not too far from BJH or The Moody Blues. I really like to put in my CD reader a good, old plain song between two challenging prog tracks, and "Stuff And Nonsense" is exactly what I mean. Even the title seems to suggest a traditional, catchy tune. But if you listen to this more than one time, I bet you'll find some more stuff in it...