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Album Reviews :: L
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Destined to become the soundtrack to many people’s lonely experiences, Mi Media Naranja walks a razor's edge between creepy and serene, at times managing to be both. There are no builds to stunning climaxes like Godspeed You Black Emperor! here, but rather a seemingly continuous flow of moody, ambient pieces. Mi Media Naranja instills a very lonely feeling in the listener, invoking emotional reactions that teeter between a feeling of cold isolation and warm solitude. Fitting in somewhere between their post-rock contemporaries and ambient artists such as Steve Roach, Labradford's music is very rewarding to a listener in the right frame of mind. It's an album that requires listeners to lie down on the couch, close their eyes, and allow themselves to float away on a cloud through a world of reverb. Mi Media Naranja takes the standard post-rock "ringing" guitar, weaves it around ambient organ and Fender Rhodes piano drones, and sprinkles sampled percussion, sound effects, and even voices on top. I have heard precious few albums that are as stirringly beautiful as this disc. To put it simply, this is one of the best post-rock albums I've had the pleasure to enjoy. It's one of those albums where you don't want to hear ANYTHING else while you're listening to it (save maybe for the soft sounds of rain outside your window). While it won't appeal to the "chops" crowds, post-rock fans (as well as prog fans with a taste for ambient) are implored to purchase this immediately. It's only $11 (shipping included) directly from Kranky. Cough up the money. You don't really need to eat dinner tonight. - *Legion* [July 2001] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup
Info 
Land of Chocolate - Unikorn
on the Cob (2001)Some of the names here might seem familiar to you: Jonn Buzby, the former drummer of Finneus Gauge, and Jordan Perlson of Echolyn are joined here by members of the Virginia based fIVE pOST fENCE. As you can expect with this background, the music is somewhat similar to that of the member's former bands; complex yet melodic, with a touch of fusion alongside a more symphonic edge and plenty of vocal harmonies. Buzby switches over from behind the drum kit to play keyboards here, and does an admirable job in this transition. Shifting time signatures and tempos abound, yet the band always succeeds in keeping the flow organic and natural. This is a tight group that melds great playing with good song writing. Perlson's tremendous effort leaves plenty of space for the others to work with, and all the members compliment each other nicely. There are plenty of fast and furious sections throughout for the band to let loose in, with choppy guitars, keys and crashing cymbals. "Musical Findings" starts out the album with a excellent intro, leading into what is ultimately a very catchy piece with plenty of infectious grooves. The whole album is filled with the band's good natured sense of humor (you thought Unikorn on the Cob was a serious title?). "Upping The Ante" is filled with both punchy, aggressive passages and shose with more of a fusion edge. The standout track on an album however, is the instrumental "Unikorn on the Kob". Here the band stretches out here and experiments with a few different styles, as an atmospheric opening gives way to a dense, Crimson-like passage. Jonn Buzby really gets to show off his keyboard playing on this track. The one drawback of the album is that there are too many vocals throughout, as evidenced by the title track, which ultimately ends up sacrificing some space in which the instrumentalists would be able to stretch out more. Buzby has an adequate voice, sounding somewhat reminiscent of Neil Morse, and while this doesn't bother me in and of itself, I think that this group of skilled players could benefit from scaling down on the vocals and concentrating more on instrumental work. Overall though, an excellent debut album from a promising band. Check out www.Landofchocolate.net for more information and to purchase the album. - Mike Prete [May 2001] Click Here for Tracklist and Lineup Info 
Landmarq - Science of
Coincidence (1998)Antichrist, thy name is Tracy Hitchings. Considering that Landmarq is considered to be one of the leading neo-progressive outfits around, I was surprised to find this album as humorously terrible as it actually is. I mean, I'm no devotee of the genre, but when it's done right (Marillion, IQ), I can definitely enjoy myself. However, The Science of Coincidence is beyond the pale, and considering I've read it's the band's best, I should probably be kept outside of a ten mile radius of any other Landmarq album, lest my flesh erupt in sores, hives or worse. Seriously though, this is the kind of thing that really depresses me. The first thing that jumps out at the listener are the heinous vocals of Tracy Hitchings, whose breathy, annoying wheezes call up images of the leather clad vixen wrapped "seductively" around an unfortunate mic stand. The vocals are dull, sickeningly poppy and fraught with a horrendously overdramatic delivery that is about as close to self parody as you can get. Musically, things vary from average to god awful. Horrible sounding digital keyboards dominate the proceedings. Think the main keyboard theme from Van Halen's "Jump" and you have a pretty good idea of both the sound and intention of compositions like "The Science of Coincidence" and the straight-from-hell "Summer Madness", which sounds like it should be blasting from convertibles in high school parking lots circa 1984. One is relieved when the band resorts to clichés and plays it safe with Genesis and Floyd derivative passages (sans vocals), making tracks like "The Vision Pit" at least partially tolerable. Indeed, there are two directions Landmarq take on the album, one is to create lame-o 80s pop songs, and the other is to just muck around in the traditional prog clichés we all know and love. Obviously, the former is the more offensive aspect, and okay, I'll admit it, guitarist Uwe D'Rose does reel off some pretty nice Gilmour-esque guitar solos from time to time. As with most bad neo-prog, about half of the music here is merely banal rather than actively atrocious. In fact, closer "The Overlook" even manages some enjoyable themes, being dominated by some nice instrumental work, and of course every moment without Hitchings' vocals is one to be treasured. However, the album is most certainly sunk by the other half, rife with AOR-ish pop tunes and that intolerable wail. Not good. - Greg Northrup [January 2002] 
Latte e Miele - Passio
Secumdum Mattheum (1972)Passio Secundum Matheum is the first release from the Italian Latte e Miele, and while firmly planted in the symphonic prog realm, they manage to forge a fairly distinctive sound on this debut. The group has often been compared to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, but that particular description is much more applicable on their next album, Papillon, which features a more stripped down trio approach. Passio... is, somewhat conversely, a defining album of pastoral, beautiful Italian symphonic progressive rock. The arrangements are intensely classical, with an almost over the top operatic feel alongside massed choirs and grandiose arrangements. A very diverse lead vocalist has the ability to really dig into the upper registers, which to me comes off quite well, though others might get a tad squeamish due to the almost feminine quality that his voice takes on at points. The arrangements are melodically flawless, but their almost overly majestic, dramatic approach can be a little much at first. Still, this is a unique album, managing to adopt traits of the typical pastoral style without being overly derivative of the genre's many masterpieces. Passio Secumdum Mattheum is a concept album, apparently having something of a religious theme tying into the life of St. Matthew. There is an annoying Italian narrative that enters between songs, which admittedly would have more significance if I understood the language. Other than that, the album is made up of 13 shorter tracks that are linked together in a continuous fashion, flowing together seamlessly. "Ultima Cena" is a particularly outstanding track, displaying the only real ELP-like moment, with an aggressive Hammond riff that attacks beneath the majestic choir. "Getzemani" is an exceptionally beautiful track, sounding like an even more orchestral version of PFM, yet very much from the same school. Unfortunately, some filler creeps in towards the middle of the album in the two part "I Testimoni". Together, the two tracks are lengthy portion of the album, and are basically a jazzy instrumental workout that can get tedious. The percussive attack is very repetitive, and the intensity level doesn't vary much throughout. Afterwards, the album returns to the arena of symphonic splendor with "Il Pianto" and holds its own through the rest of the album. The good moments here are very good indeed, but as the album clocks in at a mere 34 minutes, the 6 to 8 minute letdown in the middle certainly waters the entire affair down significantly. Again, I found this album a little hard to digest at first, essentially due to the massive operatic choirs, eccentric vocals and the over the top, dramatic feel. It is, however, an album that digs in over time, and fans of Italian symphonic shouldn't miss this one. - Greg Northrup [June 2001]  Laundry - Blacktongue
(1994)[CD - Mammoth 98 - 1994] Originally
published in Reels of Dreams Unrolled No. 2, May 15, 1997 Blacktongue is from beginning to end a wonderful romp in the relatively unexplored void between current "alternative" music and progressive rock. The entire album is comprised of dark, polyrhythmic tunes that display elements of '70s and '80s King Crimson. Butler's guitar playing is often reminiscent of Robert Fripp's pointillistic guitar style that dominated albums like Discipline and Beat. Varriale's Stick playing is also quite similar to that of Tony Levin, rounding out the '80s Crim-fluence. The music itself is dark and fairly jagged, sometimes calling to mind Starless & Bible Black-Red era Crimson. One might
think from what I have said so far that Laundry is extremely
derivative and unoriginal. Let me assure you that Laundry
is not simply a Crimson wannabe band. They are truly much
more in the "alternative" (man, I hate that word!) vein
than prog rock, but Laundry is so much more than any three-chord
teen-angst band you'll ever see on Mtv. The music is actually
very similar to Primus, but darker and more serious. There
are no silly songs about cheese, mud, fishing or any of
Les Claypool's cast of thousands of wacky characters from
in and around San Pablo Bay. Anyone who finds Primus interesting
musically, but can't get past the silly stories and the
nasally vocals should give Laundry a try. Anyone who likes
Primus and/or King Crimson should have bought this great
album a long time ago. -Scott
Hamrick [May 1997] 
Locanda Delle Fate - Forse
Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Più (1977)Fans of lush, complex symphonic progressive rock will adore Forse... . Indeed, this album represents an often formulaic style at its most sophisticated, while retaining an extraordinary level of pure, unadulterated emotion. The music is meticulously constructed around dazzlingly pretty, complex piano motifs, while a supporting cast of all kinds of synthesizers, flutes, guitar and bass weave interlocking melodies that build to exciting climaxes around the main themes. The album's tone is defined by the languid tempos, enchanting melodies and melancholy feel. The vocals are deep and emotive, typical of the Italian style in their quasi-operatic effect, and coming off as similar to those of Franceso DiGiacomo from Banco or Jimmy Spilateri from Metamorfosi. One of the major attributes of the album iis the manner in which a mind-boggling array of instruments can play at any given moment, yet without replicating each other. While the complexity and care put into the arrangements is laudable, alongside the obvious instrumental virtuosity, what's really impressive here is the fact that virtually no part of the album seems superfluous or unnecessary. Amazingly, there is virtually no wankery on this album, as every note is essential to the overall mood and intention of its respective piece. It's difficult to single out any particular song here as being a highlight, as they are all great. This one of the few albums I've heard that might actually be perfect. So much so that it's scary. Forse Le Lucciole Non Si Amano Piu is sort of a final fulfillment of the potential of the symphonic progressive rock style. A masterpiece. - Greg Northrup [September 2001]  Lockwood, Top, Vander
& Widemann - Fusion (1981)[JMS - 015 - 1981] Originally
published in Reels of Dreams Unrolled No. 2, May 15, 1997 The first track, "GHK Go To Miles" (whatever that means) is 24 minutes long and is the weirdest and most Magma-like track on the album. It starts funky with Janick Top's percussive bass and Christian Vander's impeccable drumming stopping and starting in some rather unusual rhythms. The track gets more melodic and includes interesting violin and keyboard solos by Didier Lockwood and Benoit Widemann. "Overdrive" is a nice melodic track that vaguely reminds me of Xaal's more melodic moments on their first album. The third track, "767 ZX" teeters perilously on the edge of cheesy smooth jazz before it veers into a fast, swinging theme complete with walking bass lines and jazzy violin and keyboard solos. This is the most overtly jazzy part of the album, and it is quite nice (even for someone who doesn't like "real" jazz) once it gets going. "Reliefs"
is the fourth and last song. It has a heavy, funky riff
that is reminiscent of Birds of Fire-era Mahavishnu Orchestra.
This is an unusual album that should appeal to anyone
who likes fusion and Magma. It is an interesting study
in how these four very left-field musicians approached
the already stagnating genre of jazz fusion. - Scott Hamrick [May 1997] 
Bertrand Loreau - Passé
Composé (2002)Passé Composé is essentially a series of musical vignettes written and recorded between 1989 and 2002 that serve as the soundtrack of composer Bertrand Loreau's life. At least, that's what I gather from the French liner notes (which I don't fully understand) and the overall theme of the album packaging and song titles. Having recorded and released four other albums in the years between 1992 and 1998, these lost fragments of Loreau's musical life are brought together here into one complete recording. The music is based around Loreau's keyboards and orchestration, as they provide a lush background for the beautiful and haunting melodies. A very mellow and subdued sound is constructed here, bordering on new age territory at times, but where the music does not neccesarily reach out and grab attention, it instead envelops the listener in a soothing electronic cloud. This works well for the electronic based pieces, which utilize the sequencers and digital keys, but the classically inspired pieces suffer from the hollow digital tones. The orchestral nature of the songs would be much more suited to a warm, analog replication, or real strings themselves. The programmed drums and percussion are also a bit lacking, sounding very flat and sterile. With that said, the majority of the aural textures on the album come off very well, and the additional guitar parts bring a nice sonic bite to the rockier songs. As can be expected with the soundtrack nature of the album, a lot of the pieces serve well in a background capacity, not being overly aggressive or demanding of the listener's full attention, but there are also some beautiful and emotional songs that beg to be heard. A very pleasant album, to be sure, but I would hope that further work from Loreau will eschew the dominant digital nature present here, and give his pieces the full sound they deserve. - Mike Prete [September 2002] |
Labradford - Mi Media Naranja
(1997)
