Posts tagged "progressive"

Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet

http://www.myspace.com/porcupinetree

Porcupine Tree are a progressive rock band with influences ranging from Pink Floyd, Rush, and King Crimson, to Opeth style death metal, to beach-boys style vocal harmonies.

Fear of a blank planet was released in 2007 and is a concept album focussing on the ever increasing apathy of younger generations, brought on by virtual experiences instead of real ones, reliance on mind numbing prescription drugs, etc…

Not an entirely original concept, but it does set the foundation for a bleak look into the mindset of todays youth (or what Steven Wilson percieves it to be).

“Sullen and bored the kids stay, and in this way, wish away, each day”

The album centers around the utterly epic “Anesthetize”, a nearly 18 minute song that encompasses the range of styles that Porcupine Tree have defined as their sound.  The song features a haunting solo by Rush Guitarist, Alex Lifeson.

If you’re in the mood for something dark and moody, this is the album to listen to.

Cog - Sharing Space

http://www.myspace.com/cogrockmusic

Cog are another Australian progressive rock band, but unlike Karnivool, they are a bit less heavy, a bit more experimental with their instrumentation and song structures, and a hell of a lot more political!  Cog are a band that require a lot of thought and reflection to get the most out of. 

Sharing space is their latest album, and is probably their softest work to date (1 previous album and 2 EP’s).  This has caused a bit of scorn from long time fans feeling that they’re going away from their roots, but I think its the start of them finding their own truely unique sound, and distancing themselves from the “sounds like Tool” label they’d been given with their previous efforts.

The amazing thing about these guys is that they’re a 3 piece.  Much like Muse, they manage to create a sound much much larger than what you’re used to hearing from 3 piece bands.  With their complex rhythms, I can’t even begin to comprehend how much effort Flynn the vocalist, must put into singing and playing guitar, as often the rhythms will weave together in unbelievably intricate ways.

While all 3 members are amazing, a Cog review can’t be written without praising the amazing drum work of Lucius Borich.  The beats are never boring, and lay a fantastic foundation for most of the songs to flow around.

Its a pleasure to listen to, and I look forward to seeing what these guys come up with next.

Karnivool - Themata

http://www.myspace.com/karnivool

I found out about Karnivool in early 2008, totally out of left field and they blew me away, and made me discover the exploding Aussie modern rock scene.

Themata is a brilliantly put together album that will remind people mostly of Tool, with little sprinkles of meshuggah style technical metal, muse’s epic melodies and smooth vocals, but all in a package of surprisingly digestable 4 min songs.

I’ve given this album a frankly ridiculous number of plays over the last year (2000 song plays) and I still listen to the album the whole way through without skipping songs.  Highlights for me are the first single and title track Themata (how often is the single actually one of the best songs on an album?!) which features some of the more epic parts of the album, and has fantastically complex guitar parts through the chorus.  Roquefort, Synops, and Mauseum are other favourite tracks of mine.

Something that appeals to me is that the album sounds immaculate, and was made entirely indepentendly by the band.  Drew Goddard has since become one of my idols, contributing all guitar recordings, most of the drum tracks (he considers himself more of a drummer than a guitarist aparently*), and of course a good portion of the songwriting duties.

Do independent music a favour and buy this album, or catch them live if you’re in Australia.