Neuschwanstein - Battlement (1979)

It would be unfortunate to dismiss Neuschwanstein as simply another Genesis rip-off, considering that aside from the uncanny vocal similarity to Peter Gabriel, there is just so much more to this music.  I know everyone says that about their favorite clone, including the dreaded Starcastle, but this obscurity really deserves the attention of any late-70s symphonic progressive fan.  The main thing about the album is that though they sound a hell of a lot like Genesis, it's by no means a second-tier imitation.  The musical vibe here is very similar to Wind & Wuthering, or perhaps even vintage Camel, with its warm romanticism and grandiose textures. The band does feature an uncanny Peter Gabriel soundalike on vocals, albeit one with a slight German accent, and it is this which illustrates the greatest, and most immediate, similarity to classic Genesis.  However, the lyrics lack the kind of humorous, wry narrative that Gabriel is known for, instead locking in with the musical palette for a somber, darkly romantic vibe.  In fact, the lyrics are usually delivered in an incomprehensible warble, and what does usually pop up doesn't sound particularly important anyway.  Instrumentally, acoustic guitar, flute, harpsichord and a variety of keyboards lock together to make an extremely rich and beautiful musical backdrop, with some absolutely gorgeous themes.  In fact, the vocals are probably the weakest and most negligible part of this album, and most of the weight is definitely carried by the instrumental side.

The first two tracks are probably the weakest, and it seems initially easy to dismiss the group off the bat, but once one gets into the meat of the album, starting with the magnificent "Intruders And The Punishment", it becomes clear that Neuschwanstein is much more than your average clone.  The first two songs are structured more around the vocals than the rest of the album, but later songs illustrate a dazzling instrumental repertoire.  The third song is a serious highlight, with stunning keyboard lines and much more complex instrumentation, and the vocals that do pop up are extremely dramatic.  The title track also allows for plenty of instrumental breathing room, featuring some truly melancholy guitar solos and, after the obligatory vocal part, features some fantastic keyboard and piano work as well.  "Midsummer Day" boasts the strongest vocal segment, sounding more like a less-accented version of Eloy's Frank Bornemann than Gabriel.  The middle portion of the track even rocks out (briefly) in a style similar to early Eloy.  "Zärtlicher Abschied" is a bonus track for the CD reissue, and flute and acoustic guitar drive this excellent instrumental to a Moog induced climax.  Battlement is a very exciting and impeccably performed album if you can get past the vocals (or if a Gabriel clone doesn't bother you). - Greg Northrup [April 2001]

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News From Babel - Work Resumed on the Tower (1984)

Simply put, if you like Art Bears' Hopes and Fears, you need some News from Babel. The lineup, of course, is very similar, and Chris Cutler's drumming and Dagmar Krause's singing are so distinctive that at least a passing resemblance is unavoidable.  On the other hand, the music here is composed by Lindsay Cooper rather than Fred Frith, which makes for a somewhat different sound.  To my ears, NFB are more sensuous than Art Bears, a bit more fluid in composition, and a bit closer to modern-classical art-song.  "Odysseus" is  a particularly surprising way of opening the album, with a polyphony of vocal squeals, squeaks and shrieks that lasts for two minutes before giving way to a limping RIO groove.  Other tracks, while more straightforwardly composed, still feel much more like chamber music than anything resembling rock.  The textures are often surprisingly thin, as in "Devils," where an unaccompanied Dagmar and an unaccompanied bassoon echo each other's contours before a jagged piano line comes in and turns the music into a dour, off-rhythm waltz.  Zeena Parkins' very present harp contributes to this "chamber music" effect, as do the plaintive tonal harmonies that Cooper occasionally lets the music settle into.

This is not to say that there aren't moments here that strongly recall this lineup's history.  The middle section of "Dry Leaf," for instance, contains some thorny material that could have been right off Henry Cow's Western Culture.  But then again, there's a piece like "Victory," whose melancholic opening has Dagmar singing a tune that's far more obviously melodic than Cow or even Art Bears would ever have been.  (Of course, it soon turns into a stomping military march in 5/4, and later there's even a spoken-word section in which Phil Minton's background trumpet playing reminds me oddly of James Gardner's contributions to Biota's Object Holder over a decade later.  But never mind that...)

Anyway, the point is that this is an absolutely first rate piece of work, and I can't recommend it highly enough -- except for the last track.  "Anno Mirabilis" is the obligatory clunky political piece, and while it has some interesting chord progressions, the combination of Cooper's fairly straightforward composition and Cutler's extremely heavy-handed lyrics make it a bit difficult to sit through.  When Dagmar is joined by Phil Minton, who has one of the most unpleasantly strident voices I've ever heard, I have to turn it off.  And it ends abruptly in the middle of nowhere.  Still, one bad track is a small price to pay for an otherwise thoroughly amazing album. - Alex Temple [August 2002]

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Niacin - Time Crunch (2002)

Hype can be a strange thing.  Often it can totally predispose you to liking an album before you've even heard it.  More often, it's the other way around.  Such was the case with Niacin's latest offering, Time Crunch.  A product of the Magna Carta marketing wing, who have certainly failed me in the past, I was to the say the least skeptical of the routine round of rave reviews received around the 'net.  Okay, so I admit it, I jumped the gun once again.  While Time Crunch probably isn't as great as every seems to think it is, it certainly isn't a bad album either.

Stylistically, Niacin offers up an interesting brand of prog-fusion, already a departure from the more well known "sound" of many of their label mates.  The band's pedigree is hard to argue with.  Indeed, like many other Magna Carta projects, Niacin cannot be called anything less than an "all star" ensemble.  The trio of Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai, Talas), John Novello and Dennis Chambers (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Steely Dan, Funkadelic) should warrant no further introduction.  Niacin's sound is made all the more intriguing by the dominance of John Novello's smoking Hammond B-3 manipulation.  Indeed, early listens gave me a mixed impression, one which to a certain extent still lingers.  You gotta love the Hammond.  If you're even remotely into progressive rock, the use and abuse of this instrument is as beloved a practice as any (save perhaps the almighty mellotron).  Moreover, the playing on the album is *hot*, as anyone would be able to figure out by simply scanning the personnel.  The problem at first was the usual wank-over-content quotient.  Yeah, the musicianship is great and all, but do the compositions stand up on their own without all the flash?  At first I thought not.  Repeated listens haven't totally converted me, but have moved me somewhere towards the middle.  Indeed, I've found scattered melodies and motifs from Time Crunch lingering in my head at the most unexpected times.  Cuts like "Hog Funk", with its sublime main motif, "Glow" with its crunchy bass grooves backing an enforced Hammond onslaught, and the title track are irresistibly infectious.  Ultimately, a recommended album.  Sure, not being the biggest fusion fan on the planet, and I could do without some of the soloing, but I'm probably missing the point anyway. - Greg Northrup [April 2002]

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