Gun - Gun (1968)

The debut album from this English band.

Gun was a trio with a lineup of bass, drums, guitars and vocals.
Two extra musicians provided background vocals, male and female vocals.

Gun is a band who only released two albums. Their impact on the prog and hard rock scene was pretty big, though. And bands like Baker Gurvitz Army and Three Men Army, two very good bands whose albums I have reviewed here and in # 1 of the blog.

Recorded and released in 1968, this album is off course steeped in those days music and ideas.

In this case, we are talking Cream and some The Beatles. We are talking the hippie bands and the harder blues bands.

I did expect a lot of blues here. There is not much of that here and that comes as a surprise. The music is more spaced out and dominated by beat music too. It is very hard though and can be called hard rock even in today's standards.

Hippie hard rock ? Oh, yeah. There are even some Indian and raga rock influences here on this forty minutes long album.

There is no really great tracks here. I am still surprised how good this album is. The band hit something here with their take on 1968. It comes recommended to everyone.

3 points

Satellite - Evening Games (2005)

The second album from this band from Poland.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of guitars, drums, keyboards, bass and vocals.

Satellite was the continuation of the legendary band Collage whose albums I will review later this year. Collage is perhaps the godfather (band) of the Polish neo-prog scene.

Neo-prog is what we get here.

The music has their roots in early Genesis and features a seventeen minutes long epos, the title track. A good epos too.

The music is really elegant and melodic throughout this album. The music is also epic and has all the qualities of a solid, good neo-prog album.

We get seventy minutes of solid neo-prog here. It is hard to argue that the album is too long.

What it does not have is a great song or two. The music is a joy but the dot over the i is missing here. The extra inspiration and the extra flashes of greatness.

It is hard to ignore this album when recommending neo-prog albums from Poland though. This is indeed a good album.

3 points

 

Misfits of Sythia - Uncanny Valley (2018)

The debut album from this Australian band.

Misfits Of Sythia is a sextet with a lineup of drums, bass, trombone, tenor sax, guitars and vocals.
The band had help from a handful of guest musicians who provided trumpet, saxophones and violins.

The band released a pretty long EP back in 2014 before they released this album four years later. An EP well worth checking out from the link above.

The band plays some sort of RIO/avant-garde.

The music is also based on post-punk to a large degree. Based on that sound, they have added a lot of tasty and melodic woodwinds. In particular trombone and saxophones.

The music is not particular melodic. Neither is it particular dissonant.

There is some metal here and some chamber-rock. That to create contrasts in the music.

The band is very playful here and has given us a playful album.

The quality leaves something to be desired.

Nevertheless, this is a decent to good album. One to check out as it is a Name Your Price album.

2.5 points

Nektar - Magic Is A Child (1977)

The seventh album from this British band.

Nektar was a quarter on this album with a lineup of bass, drums, keyboards, guitars and vocals.
They had help from some guest artists, including Robert Fripp, on guitar and synths. A string quartet also contributed to this album.

Roye Albrighton had left Nektar on this album after, I guess, artistic differences. An American vocalist and guitarist fills his place. His name is Dave Nelson, btw.

Gone is also progressive rock. They too abandoned non-commercial music in the hunt for some money and fame. Something you do not get by playing progressive rock. Unless your name is Pink Floyd, that is.

AOR and stadium rock has replaced progressive rock.

US stadium rock, that is. There is no hit songs here. It is just an album with AOR songs. Some are rather catchy.

This album is far from what Nektar did on their previous album and nowhere near as exciting and good. It is still a decent album with it's subtle qualities.

Check out this album if you like AOR and US stadium rock.

2 points

Lebowski - Galactica (2019)

The second album from this band from Poland.

Lebowski is a quartet with a lineup of bass, drums, guitars and synths.

I have not heard their 2010 debut album Cinematic so I cannot comment on their origins and development.

Their albums is out on a label called Cinematic Music and that fits the bill for their music. Cinematic music.

This is an original soundtrack for a movie that has not been released or will ever be released.

The music is somewhere between cinematic, symphonic, metal and rock.

I therefore don't think the music here is that suitable as a soundtrack. Well, parts of it is. But not all of it. The music is very dynamic heavy at times. Then again we get some more pastoral parts where a female voice is being used as an instrument.

There is not much interesting details to be found in this seventy minutes long album, I am afraid. It is a decent enough album, but just that. The music is simply not good enough, I am afraid

2 points

Galahad - Quiet Storms (2017)

The 11th album from this British band.

Galahad was a quintet on this album with a lineup of keyboards, bass, guitars, drums and vocals.
The band got help from four guest musicians who provided woodwinds, violin, keyboards and female vocals

Galahad was a part of the original neo-prog scene in the UK. They soon went their own way though and released some acoustic and electronica albums inbetween some neo-prog albums.

Galahad has gone back to their catalogue and rediscovered some old classics on this album. That means is should not have been reviewed in this blog who strictly only do studio albums.

But it took me some listening sessions to find out this and I am therefore reviewing this album.

The music on this seventy-five minutes long album is a mix of neo-prog, some symphonic prog and some rather eclectic stuff.

The quality is good throughout this album without really shining through. It is a good album but just that.

3 points

miRthkon - Snacks (2013)

The second and so far final album from this US band.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of piccolo, saxophones, bass, drums, clarinet, percussion, drums, keyboards, guitars and some vocals.

I have not had the chance to hear their 2009 debut album Vehicle. I can get it but this kind of music is not really the one that catches my imagination.

The music here is RIO/avant-garde. There is a lot of Balkan pop like music here performed by lots of woodwinds and some guitars. Add keyboards too. And the usual bass and drums. Not to mention percussion.

There are some space rock over the music too and their version of the Black Sabbath classic Fairies Wear Boots is space rock meet RIO and chamber rock.

Strangely enough, there are one college rock sounding vocal track here too. A normal pop tune in the B52s vein.

There is no really good songs here with the exception of that Black Sabbath song. There is not much here who catches the imagination of the listener.

This album is therefore a bit of a let down as I had heard a lot of positive things about it. It is also an album that is either love or hate. It splits opinions, I have read from other reviews.

It is a decent to good album in my estimation. I am not won over.

2.5 points

Hawkwind - Hawkwind (1970)

The debut album from this British band.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of guitars, electronics, bass, drums, saxophone, harmonica, percussion and vocals.

This band is one of the really big bands in what is loosely the psych/space rock genre. Perhaps the biggest one together with Pink Floyd.

I have previously reviewed some of their albums and has decided to review ten or so of their albums this year.

The album opens with a very good pop/beat song called Hurry On Sundown. It is perhaps their most poppy song ever and one of their most known songs. Nice start to a career.......

The thirty-eight minutes long album then goes over to a much more raga-rock and space rock terrain. There is also some Indian music here.

It becomes a hypnotic space rock album, in short.

Dave Brock & Co does a very good job on this album. The saxophone and the electronics fits in nicely with the guitars, bass and drums. Not to mention the very good vocals.

This is one of the better album from the golden year of 1970. And that says a lot !! It is indeed a very good album.

3.5 points

Granada - España, Año '75 (1976)

The second album from this Spanish band.

Granada was a quartet with a lineup of guitars, drums, mellotron, flute, synths, keyboards, bass, violin and mandolin.
A guest musician provided saxophone.

I have previously reviewed their first and their third album. The band released three albums before they broke up. You can find my reviews somewhere else in this blog.

Their debut album was based on vocals. This album is wholly instrumental.

Take a lot of symphonic prog and add some jazz. Add a lot of Spanish folk rock too and some harder rock. That is when you end up with this album.

The music is dynamic and full of interesting ideas.

All forty minutes of this album, it is. There is a lot of keyboards and synths here. There is also a lot of guitars in the front of a wall of drums and bass.

The music is indeed good throughout and the band made progress from album to album. Unfortunate, we only got three albums from them. Three very diverse albums, but three albums well worth checking out nevertheless.

3 points

Rishloo - Feathergun (2009)

The third album from this US band.

Rishloo is a quartet with a lineup of guitars, bass, drums and vocals.

I have reviewed their previous two albums and I will review their fourth and final album too.

I was not impressed about their take on post-punk/metal on their first two albums. You can read the reviews somewhere else in this blog.

Hence, I was not looking forward to this album.

Their music is still hard and very post-something. That means post-rock and post-metal in this case. It is The Mars Volta meets............ Radiohead !

The music has become a lot softer and melodic inbetween cascades of brutal post-metal. There is indeed a lot of post-rock here too.

The music is indeed very epic and almost symphonic melodic at times. There are a lot pastoral parts inbetween some more brutal cascades of post-metal here.

There are even some pretty traditional songs with post-rock influences here.

The end result is pretty impressive. This one hour long album has indeed a lot going for it. The songs are all good to very good. There is not a single killer track here. But this album is at times a sheer pleasure.

This is indeed a very good album and one to really check out.

3.5 points

 

Steamhammer - Reflection (1969)

The debut album from this British band.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of bass, drums, guitars, harmonica and vocals.
Two guest musicians helped out with flute and piano too.

Another title on this album is Steamhammer, btw. It is the same album with the same songs.

As the band name may tell you, this is a band who played some pretty hard music. And that is correct.

The band comes up with some rather standard blues on this album. Blues with some hard rock influences. A good reference is the Led Zeppelin debut album.

The difference is that Led Zeppelin was a many country miles better band than Steamhammer and their songs were in another league than the songs on Reflection.

Steamhammer has a good vocalist and the guitars too are good. The flutes also adds value to these songs.

This is still not a bad album. The first one of four studio albums and you will soon find reviews of the three other albums too.

This is a decent half an hour long blues-rock album and nothing more than that.

2 points

Rainbow Danger Club - Treehouse Empire (2019)

The third album from this Chinese band.

The band is a quintet with a lineup of ukulele, banjo, trombone, trumpet, bass, guitars, drums, synths, cello, organ, piano and vocals.

The band's career started out very promising with their very proggy debut album before they went towards Americana on their second album. Both reviews can be found in # 1 of this blog.

I had some hopes about this album......

The band is fully embracing an Americana sound and standard rock on this album. There are a lot of country and folk rock on this album.

The country and folk rock is on the mainstream end of this album. Ditto for the Mexican tijuana jazz on this album.

This album sounds like made in a studio somewhere in the mid-west of USA. It sounds like an US album. It has absolute no Chinese music or Chinese flavours whatoever.

It has no connection to Asia at all. It sounds like an American album.

The music is decent enough. But it is not progressive rock or interesting at all. Fans of half-dead rock will like this album. I do not.

1.5 points

Mind Furniture - Hoop of Flame (2007)

The second and final album from this US band.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of bass, drums, keyboards, guitars and vocals.
A guest musician provided cello.

I was not impressed by their debut album The End Of Days from 2000. I reviewed it back in September 2011 for ProgArchives and you can find the review here.

The band is doing a kind of neo-prog.

That is US neo-prog.

There is some rock here too and some Americana. But it is British influenced US neo-prog who dominates this almost one hour long album.

The vocals are good and the band is doing their best on some rather catchy songs.

The songs are catchy, but also pretty thin on the ground regarding intelligent melodies and hooks. The music is simply too simple to make this a good album.

Nevertheless, this is a decent album and well worth checking out if neo-prog is your thing.

2 points

Jaivas. Los - Arrebol (2001)

The 14th album from this band from Chile.

Los Jaivas was a quintet with a lineup of drums, bass, caracas, trutruca, siku, quena, guitars, piano, keyboards, moog, clavinova, synths, tambourine, cultrun, cowbell and Spanish vocals.

This album is their final album so far and that conclude my ten reviews of their album. I am not bothered about their live, best of and archives albums.

The band started out as a folk music band in the 1970s before they moved towards progressive rock and rock pop. They did not leave their roots, though. Los Jaivas has always been a folk rock band.

Their farewell album (??) takes us again back towards folk music. Not as much as on their debut album 48 years ago. But it is still folk music who dominates the airwaves here.

The music is pretty exotic and wildly South American. Something that we in the northern hemispheres appreciate.

There are also some more rock and pop here. And those songs are pretty bad.

The folk music stuff is decent to good. The usage of children choir in a childish pop tune is horrible.

This is a decent enough album. It is still an album not for those who are curious about this band and want to listen to their music. This album is only for their fans.

2 points


 

Quidam - SurREvival (2005)

The fourth album from this Polish band.

The band was a sextet with a lineup of flutes, bass, percussion, drums, guitars, keyboards and vocals.

I have really enjoyed their first three albums. In particular because of the very good female vocals who set the band apart from most other bands in the neo-prog scene in Poland and world wide.

So I was really looking forward to this album.

The female vocals has now gone and it seems for good. The male vocals are good though.

The music is pretty much middle of the road neo-prog. There is some Marillion and some more mainstream prog metal and rock influences here. The band is doing a good job.

The loss of the female vocals has removed much of their identity and charm.  

Quidam anno this album it is not the same as the good old version of this band.

When the band is not really coming up with the goods when it comes to good songs either..... Well, this is their weakest album so far.

What a shame.

2.5 points

Glencoe - The Spirit Of Glencoe (1973)

The second and final album from this British band.

Glencoe was a quartet with a lineup of keyboards, strings, bass, drums, guitars, percussion and vocals.

I was not impressed by their debut album who I reviewed some weeks ago. See the review somewhere else in this blog.

So I was not really looking forward to dipping my ears into this album.

The band continues on from the debut album with a mix of blues, psych, rock and folk rock.

Some of the music is very hard. Then we get some ballads in the folk rock style. The strings adds some old style crooning pop music to this album too.

There is not much to feel joyful on this half an hour long album.

Then again, it is not a bad album either. It is left in the time it was released and has not transferred well this day and age. It is still a decent album which I may not urge you to check out. But it has it's charms.

2 points

Millennya - Time Has Come (1998)

The one and only album from this Norwegian band.

The band was a quintet with a lineup of bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, piano and vocals.

This album and band is more or less forgotten in the Norwegian progressive rock. This in a scene who now tries to find gems from their pre-historic days.

This private released album is perhaps not even a progressive rock album.

Take some Saga, add some progressive metal and a lot of AOR. That is where you get this album.

A forty minutes long album with some of the ills from the 1990s. There is some football terrace chants choruses here and one very formula based ballad.

Basically, if you want AOR, you get AOR on this album.

The vocals and the instruments are acceptable but not exciting. The title track and a couple of more Saga inspired tracks are the best songs here.

This is a half decent album I have problems writing many good things about.

1.5 points

Nemo - Le Ver Dans Le Fruit (2013)

The eight album from this French band.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of guitars, drums, keyboards, bass and French vocals.

I have been a fan of this band since their third album or so.

Their take on French symphonic prog is very refreshing. The band is though not a French symphonic prog band. It is a.... well, I am not sure.

The band combines again some progressive metal and eclectic prog with old French symphonic prog. Ange is still pretty large in the background.

The sound is very much this day and age though. Ditto for for the vocals and the instruments.

The music is eclectic, folk rocky, symphonic, bold, a bit bombastic and a bit heavy. It is also very colourful and intricate.

There is several songs on this double CD, eighty-five minutes long album which comes out great. And the album is full of intricate details throughout. The vocals is a big plus too.

This is another great album from this rather underrated band. A band who are a hidden gem in the progressive rock scene. But those who seek and find their albums has found something really, really special. I am so happy I am one of them.

4 points

Amazing Blondel - Evensong (1970)

The second album from this British band.

Amazing Blondel was a trio with a lineup of lute, harpsichord, guitars, bass, cittern, flute, crumhorn, pipe organ, tabor pipe, harmonium and vocals.

Amazing Blondel was one of those bands from the folk music scene who also made a detour into progressive rock on one or more albums.

I am not sure where this band touched the progressive rock scene.

That is most certainly not on this album. An album with pure folk music. Uncomplicated melody and vocals based folk music.

The instruments are not doing much of themselves besides of supporting the vocals. Some good vocals, but still vocals.

The songs are decent enough, but they never really shines. There is no good songs here. There are some good details, but that is all.

2 points

Black Oak Arkansas - If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? (1972)

The third album from this US band.

The band was a sextet on this album with a lineup of drums, bass, washboard, guitars, banjo, piano, steel guitar, organ and vocals.

This band from the deep south of USA (who comes from the same state as ex president Bill Clinton) had so far released two decent albums. The first one was very influenced by Led Zeppelin. The second one more in the vein of southern rock.

And that is where we are on this album. Southern rock.

OK, the music is not as hard as Lynyrd Skynyrd. Not on this album, anyway.

The band is carving out their own niche at the same time as being commercial on this album. A bit soft rock combined with some hard rock.

On the top of this, you get Jim "Dandy" Mangrum's rasping, very sensual vocals. Vocals that appeals to both US males and women on a big stage somewhere in the states. And they are also very good on an album too.

The quality of the music on this thirty odd minutes long album is not that good and it occurs to me that Black Oak Arkansas was a level below the really great hard rock and arena bands in USA from the 1970s.

This album is a miss.

1.5 points

Miklagård - Miklagård (1979)

The one and only album from this Swedish band.

The band was a trio with a lineup of organ, synths, electric piano, bass, saxophone, drums and Swedish vocals.

Not much is known about this band who were formed by a TV movie scores composer and who only delivered this album.

An album with a semi-classics status among the Swedish symphonic prog albums.

A relevant reference is ELP. But there is not much of these bombastic pieces of music in Miklagard's music. There are more Genesis flavours here.

The symphonic prog is very neo-prog long before neo-prog were invented. The sound is very down to earth and melody based. The songs are quirky too with some Gentle Giant references.

The organs and synths are painting some rather big pictures now and then. The vocals are intricate and the album is full of small, quirky details.

This is indeed a quirky half an hour long album who does leave the listener pretty satisfied. It deserve it's status. I would indeed endorse it and recommend this album to those who likes quirky symphonic prog.

3 points

Brave - The Calm The Storm (2019)

The third album from this US band.

The band is a sextet with a lineup of ukulele, violin, keyboards, drums, guitars, bass and vocals. Both male and female vocals.

I have not heard their first two albums. The band is listed as a progressive metal band and the albums was released in 2002 and 2008.

I am no fan of progressive metal at all. So I very, very reluctantly decided to review this album.

Well, I did not have any need to worry. Brave anno 2018/19 is a different kettle of fish altoghether.

Gone is most of the progressive metal. The remnants of progressive metal is here to spice up the music. Which it does, indeed. It enhances this album.

What has emerged is a band very influenced by Mostly Autumn. An album very influenced by Mostly Autumn, that is.

You get the keltic influences here. You get the very good female vocals and you get their sound. But the band still does their own things.

There is some good and some decent songs on this forty odd minutes long album. It is an album full of sweet music and it has some good details too. But there is not enough food for the thought to keep my interest up. Hence the rating.

2.5 points

Spirit - Spirit (1968)

The debut album from this US band.

Spirit was a quintet with a lineup of percussion, drums, guitars, keyboards, bass and vocals.

I got a handful of this legendary band's first albums and intend to explore and review them this year.
I love discovering and exploring new music. I love reviewing these albums here.

I did not what to expect from this album and this band. So I entered this exploration with a totally blank page.

What hits me is the shortness of this album. Barely half an hour but there is some bonus stuffs on the CD versions. My subject is the 1968 original album.

Then the music.... It is The Beatles taking their Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club album to a more psych direction. There is also some classic and pop influences here. Lots of them. Lot's of proto-symphonic prog.

Spirits packs in a lot on this half an hour.... and.... 

...For some of you, Spirit is known as the band who sued Led Zeppelin for copyright infringements on their classic, classic masterpiece Stairways To Heaven. This based on the song Taurus which we can find on this album. So, is there any similarities here ? Yes. Copyright infringements ? I don't think so. But Taurus is a good, good song...

... One of the many good songs here.

I am actually mighty impressed by this album. It is clearly one of the best albums from 1968, the year I was born.

This is a very very elegant album and a very good one too. This is one you should check out.

3.5 points

 

Granada - Hablo de Una Tierra (1975)

The debut album from this Spanish band.

Granada was a quartet with a lineup of bass, drums, flute, violin, clavicord, Mellotron, piano, guitars and Spanish vocals.
The band were helped out by some guest musician who provided mandolin, percussion, guitars and vocals.

I reviewed their third and final album, the 1978 Valle Del Pas back in 2013 and you can read my review here. An album I really liked a lot.

So I got their first two albums too and their second album will be reviewed asap too.

Granada was from Madrid and were a large part of the rather underrated Spanish symphonic prog scene. I think the scene and their music is underrated.

The band has taken a lot from their friends in Italy... the RPI scene, on this their debut album.

This sounds like an RPI album by all means. There is a lot of lush songs here with some Spanish folk rock and pop intertwined into the symphonic prog.

The music is pretty dynamic too and full of interesting details. The vocals is really cool and the instruments works out well too.

There is no truly great songs here and it is a bit hard to find some good music here too. This album is a grower. But grows, it does. But not to any better than an album somewhere between decent and good.

But do check it out.

2.5 points

 

Approaching the Silence - On These Shores (2019)

The debut album from this US band.

The band is a trio with a lineup of drums, bass, synths, percussion, guitars and vocals.

Their CD Baby page lured me in with promises of music somewhere between Rush, Yes and Pink Floyd. Yes, thank you was my response.

Ditto for the art-work, btw. It promised a lot...

Promises delivered ? The band gives us seventy minutes of mostly singer-songwriter music with some psych elements and some harder rock. Similarities with any of the three bands listed as references ? Faintly but just faint.

It can be debated it this is anywhere near progressive rock at all. Then again, what is progressive rock ?

This album is much more in the vein of Americana with a hint of psych than progressive rock.

The music is not too bad though. I do not regret getting this album. It deserves some attention. These guys knows their stuff.

Nevertheless, this is a decent album with decent songs and something to build on for the band. Hopefully in a more psychedelia direction next time. That because those parts are working pretty well and should be pursued more by the band.

Check out this album.

2 points

Adventure - New Horizon (2019)

The fourth album from this Norwegian band.

The band is a sextet with a lineup of bass, drums, keyboards, guitars and vocals. Both male and female vocals.
They have been helped out by two guest musicians who provides flute and piano.

I have previously reviewed their three first albums and have found them enjoyable.

Enjoyable but not superb or brilliant.

The band has slightly changed course too. Gone is the mix of symph, neo and prog metal. In comes....

In comes a mix of folk rock, Scandinavian symphonic prog and some progressive metal.

The music is not overly complicated. The band has a nice eye for a melody too. Not that they have found some great melodies. But that is not for the lack of trying.

The music is a bit laid back and slightly too safe. This is by any means a good album. But there is no real x factor, the thing that want me to really dive more into the music, on this album.

Good, but not a great album. It is a solid album too where everyone does the right things but does not over-achieve. It is still an album well worth checking out.

3 points

Mezquita - Califas Del Rock (1981)

The second album from this Spanish band.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of bass, saxophone, guitars, keyboards, drums and Spanish vocals.

Their 1979 debut album Recuerdos De Mi Tierras was a great album somewhere between Spanish fusion and symphonic prog. You can read my review of this album here.

Looking at the cover art-work more than give me a hint that we are not in for the same on this album. Minimalism is the word here.

And so is the music too.

Take Spanish hard rock in the vein of Medina Azahara at their most uninteresting and you get this album.

There is a lot of Spanish folk rock influences on this half an hour long album. The vocals is really good too.

The music is a bit cheap and minimalistic rock. Mostly hard rock.

The quality is decent enough. But I am not really impressed by this album.

A decent rating would suffice...

2 points

Focus - 11 (2019)

The 14th album from this Dutch band.

The band is now a quartet with a lineup of guitars, bass, drums, vocoder, percussion, Hammond organ, flute and vocals.

Thijs Van Leer is the only remaining member after the Focus comeback some albums ago. The band is touring and is still reminding fans and others how great they once were.

I am by no means saying that this version of Focus is bad. They are actually very good. But the proof is in the pudding... the albums.

And this album mostly have the good old Focus sound. There are some references to one of my all-time favourite albums; The Hamburger Concertos. And there is plenty of other references to other of their great albums too.

Five tracks is re-written from previous albums. The rest of the songs are new songs. Most of this album is new songs and they are in the good old Focus style. That means a mix of jazz, folk and symphonic prog.

There is only sporadic vocals here. Most of the fifty minutes worth of material is instrumental.

...And this stuff really works. Yes, the sound is a major factor here. But the pieces are really good and is by no means shaming Focus good name and reputation. The band will probably even get new fans from this album. And that is great.

I have really enjoyed this album, indeed.

3 points
 

Glencoe - Glencoe (1972)

The debut album from this British band.

The band was a quartet with a lineup of bass, drums, keyboards, guitars and vocals.

The band released two albums with this setup and another album with a totally different lineup before they disbanded. It is only the two first albums which is regarded as proper Glencoe albums. I got both of them and the second one will be reviewed asap too.

The band gives us forty minutes of their music on this album.

Music with the basis of folk rock. But there is also lot's of US country here and British rock. And there is even a piece of symphonic prog added to this album too.

This album has indeed a folky country sound. The mood and sound is also laid-back as there is not much hard rock here.

There is lots of vocal harmonies here and I am getting lots of Crosby, Stills & Nash vibes here. Not at least from the less-is-more guitars and keyboards here.

The songs are decent to good throughout. It is an album with it's small flaws but still comes with bags of charm and class. It is well worth checking out this album.

2.5 points




 

Satellite - A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset (2003)

The debut album from this band from Poland.

The band was an eight piece big band on this album with a lineup of drums, bass, keyboards, guitars and vocals.

The band Collage is regarded as the first really substantial Polish neo-prog band. After their breakup, two members found out they had enough material to another album and started this band.

This album is the result too.

It is the album Collage never released too.

I also believe there are some songs written as Satellite on this album too.

This is a very long album, clocking in at well over seventy minutes. It is an album full of melodic neo-prog with a great deal of symphonic prog shining through too.

There is a lot of guitar solos, very good vocals, keyboards harmonies and clever vocal harmonies.

The music is good throughout without really coming up with a great song or two. That is my gripe with this album.

This is a good neo-prog album and one I enjoy. Check it out.

3 points