Returned to the Earth "Stalagmite Steeple" ALBUM REVIEW [Art Rock, Prog Rock Adjacent]

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media       (album release date: June 14, 2024)

I love it when I can connect with an album. When I was cycling through "Stalagmite Steeple" by UK band Returned to the Earth for review purposes I felt a bond being established. It was probably the third time through when I had to leave the house... and I didn't want to turn the music off!

Right up front I will mentioned that "Stalagmite Steeple" is very much akin with Steven Wilson's softer side, (like Hand. Cannot. Erase.).  I would consider it art rock for sure, definitely progressive-adjacent. There is a high-standard of tastefulness in production, atmosphere and composition. It's an intriguing listen. Singer composer Robin Peachey's voice also reminds me of Wilson's (Peachey also performs on guitar, piano and synths). 

If this album were a book, it would be a page-turner. Each track feels intimately connected and companioned- it is a spiritually cohesive whole.  One concept tying it together lyrically is Robin Peachey's musings on empathy, escape, compassion and perhaps tragedy. 

The album is largely slow without being plodding or diluted. Nor is it slow in the romantic or love-ballad sense. Melancholic? Maybe, but for me it's not depressing. Its only shortfall is that it deserved an exorbitant studio budget like in the days of yore when labels would spend a million dollars to record an album. On this project it would have not been wasted. So in that sense the canvas is slightly modest or sparse in parts, but since the material is so powerful it stands on its own quite confidently- a testament to all of the strong-boned melodies and composition.  

The album is airy and spacious, carefully laid out and allowed to breathe, pulse, unfold deliberately and unhurriedly. That's such a different vibe than is so popular in the world right now; a world of maniacal TikToks, YouTube Shorts, busily shuffling Spotify playlists et al. Perhaps Stalagmite Steeple is a musical remedy or salve of sorts for this modern age- a balm for souls being run ragged- being pushed and pulled from all directions at once. 

It's also beautiful. In fact the friend who recommended I check this album out used the word 'gorgeous', and he's right. The paradox here is that the album is also emotionally deep-cutting, drawing its listener into musical depths of profound contemplation. 

There are no 'skip-pers' on this obviously carefully and lovingly crafted album. It's a consistently enjoyable listen throughout and there's even a nurturing quality or vibe I get from it. It has a timelessness to it as well. 

I'm a new Returned to the Earth fan now, so I can't compare this to any of their previous 4 albums- I've not heard any of them! However I am so curious to explore them.

Fave track: Dark Morality.

The Prog dog score is 4 1/2 out of five dog bones. It's a gem. 

Citrus Moon "Citrus Moon" ALBUM REVIEW instrumental prog rock/ math rock/ post rock

By Dean Wolfe, prog dog Media          (album released Feb. 2023)

Citrus Moon are a 4 piece instrumental band out of Chicago. They will appeal to many a progressive rock fan (King Crimson fans for certain) as well as math rock fans (I will be video-interviewing the band and will post a link below when it's done).

Based on my ears alone I can tell you electric guitar is prominent in this band: with 2 guitars, bass and drums being the substance of it. The players are Demetri Bairaktaris, Kevin Polochak, Seth Beavis, and Patrick Stevens. The songs are dynamic and full of punctuations like '!', '!!' and '*'.   The songs are very memorable and distinct despite there being no singing. Each tune covers much territory. Citrus Moon sound extremely tight and move along like a single giant Mecha robot. Each song is a varied story like on 'Los Lunas', they move through rock passages and into almost Caribbean detours. There seems no limit on these guys: they move freely from riff to melody to tension-building passages. The drummer breathes and fluctuates with the band as well as pinning songs solidly to the ground. 

I even detect kind of African influences in the guitar work- there being plenty of clean electric guitars as well as distortion soaked segments. Guitar geeks will obsess over where single coil and bridge pickups were employed, what the hammer ons were, what amps did the guys use etc etc. But overall it's a fun and appealing album that I would even rate high on the 'girlfriends/wives will like it' chart (a 'plus' for many of us dudes who like to listen to a wide variety of musical experimentations). There's even an orchestral string flash in 'Dark Rainbow'. 

Overall the album feels quite playful as well. Not to be outdone, the bassist does get aggressive at times with his tones, and reminds me of the legendary Tony Levin. 

There's no outright heavy-metal vibes with the band. They play it restrained and the melodies emerge naturally. 

In summary I'd say these guys are explorers. The album is rich, very rich- with both simple and intricate musical concepts and ideas. They have a great chemistry and I would run, not walk, to any gig that I could attend. This is what the world needs more of today: bands! Real bands! Bands that play together and stay together, exploring musical territories together.  This album earned a well-deserved 4 out of 5 bones on the prog dog charts. 

https://citrusmoon.bandcamp.com/album/citrus-moon

Prog dog interview link: https://youtu.be/s_5CJqWrEDc?si=g730c-5s_h1gUac1

Doris Melton "Reflected Perspective" ALBUM REVIEW [Apple Pie Retro-Prog/ Singer/Songwriter]

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media  (album release September 2023)

Something that is underrepresented in music in general these days is a highly capable female singing keyboardist pounding away on her piano and analog synthesizers in the old school way. 

Enter Doris Melton, who has come 'back to the future' -stepping out of a time-travelling silver DeLorean from the early 1970s with her first solo album firmly in hand. 

Her husband, Matthew Melton who recorded and produced her first solo album is equally time-challenged- revelling in what is now considered antique reel to reel recorders and all manner of non-digital equipment (except for the final transfer for streaming purposes of course). 

Together they are known as Dream Machine and have a couple of great albums (see my review here). Her husband already has some solo albums and now Doris has finally brought forth her own disc. 

So how to describe Doris and "Reflected Perspective"? First- her singing is sort of Abba-esque, but with a psychedelic patina. Her songwriting is very good- there are no tracks deserving to be skipped over- they all have personalities and something to say. One of my favourite tracks is the title track, which is catchy in a cool way. Her keyboard playing is essential to her 'sound' throughout the album. Many of the tracks feature beautiful analog keyboards as well as piano. Also common across the album are instrumental musical sections and interludes sure to excite all the Rick Wakemans and Tony Banks (Genesis) out there. There's even a dedicated instrumental track called Ignus Fatuus. The album is overall kinda poppy- like I said, a proggier ABBA with a kind of lo-fi vibe in a K-Tel records kind of way, and an undeniable prog-influence throughout as well- myself being reminded of ELOY, early Mike Oldfield, and even Kansas. 

Worthwhile to point out there's no click track and the drums are all real which allows for deliberate tempo changes in parts. 

Doris makes no attempt to blend in with current 2023 society-  her vintage clothes and analog attitude are more that just charming as well as intriguing- she's the real deal. You get what you see! 

Is this a perfect album? There are brief moments when it feels like there's just a little too much being crammed in there- a bit claustrophobic. In a couple of tracks the cymbals are a bit too forward or trashy in the mix. A little more breathing room would do the trick. So frankly, little tweaks and adjustments could have been made but this little powerhouse of an album can't be held back. 

I could easily imagine Doris teaming up with Opeth. They would be perfectly complimentary, knowing how far and deep Mikael Åkerfeldt likes to dig into the record crates for his personal collection of original, unique and interesting music (prog, quite often). Doris is currently Netherlands-based so who knows, maybe that could actually happen?

Prog dog scores this Doris Melton album a solid 4 out of 5 dog bones. It's irresistible with repeat listens. I know it's worked its way into my heart- Doris Melton is a true keyboard maven. She comes straight from a parallel universe where ABBA is a prog act with a Roger Dean bubble Logo (like Yes) and mankind recognizes that analog music really is as good as it gets. 

Earworm: Getting Even Part II; Fave track: Reflected Perspective 

Watch my interview with Doris HERE 

Bassoon "Succumbent" ALBUM REVIEW [Avant Instru-Metal Heavy Prog]

 

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media         (Release: Nov. 17, 2023)

This album is so refreshing but not the typical sense. No, more like a shower of dust over a hot elephant, or a beautiful wallow in thick mud for a tired rhino. It's also an album for those not afraid to challenge their ears. 

Bands like Bassoon provide the broad prog genre with alternatives to perennially happy bands like Yes. So you have to leave it to bands like this to explore roads less travelled.  

This is sort of Tool territory, sort of King Crimson territory, a bit ELP-ish in the keyboard sections, but Bassoon are cutting new paths for experimental instrumental rock. They are a trio out of New York: drums, bass, and electric guitar. And they do so much with so little, playing with odd and complex time signatures, driving through dissonant patterns, while maintaining a fresh and purposeful energy. Also there is a creative restraint- it's never noise or craziness just for the sake of being different. The bass is grievously heavy and aggressive at times. The guitar (Sean Moran) is tastefully toned. The drums (John Mettam) are very much explored with as an equal tool of composition. The tension Bassoon creates is compositionally-based rather than through mere harshness- it's a surprisingly smooth and even sounding album- a cohesive collection of songs. 

The last track 'Born to Doom' did point out plainly to me of an obvious influence I overlooked, probably because I'm still not overly steeped in doom metal myself. The band is a C band, meaning the guitars are all dropped two whole tones for a looser 'bendier' quality. 

Prog dog gives this album a solid 4 out of 5 bones. There is no studio trickery here: 3 guys playing their instruments, very well, without an excess of embellishment (dashes of organ or keys on a few tracks played by the bassist Stuart Popejoy)- it's all about composition and performance- meat and potatoes.  There can be no disputing the results: kick-ass satisfying!  It's a balanced listen that finishes with epic-ness. It's not exhausting- quite the opposite, a great disc! Looking forward to seeing this band live and hearing more albums. (Favourite tracks: epic finale 'Born to Doom', 'Succumbent')

Watch my interview podcast with Stuart Popejoy of Bassoon here. 

https://bassoon.bandcamp.com/album/succumbent

Bear Ghost "Jiminy" ALBUM REVIEW

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media  (released 2023).

Bear Ghost, out of Phoenix Arizona, are a very unique high energy trio (nuclear at times)-- a catchy mix of melodic and intricate thrashiness, pop, punk, rock, theatrical and prog. One outstanding feature of this band is the guitarist/vocalist, Ryan Abel who is a singing powerhouse, slightly reminiscent of Freddy Mercury of Queen.  In fact I'd be very surprised if at least someone in this band isn't a huge Queen fan.    

This band is relentlessly tight- just watch one of the live shows on YouTube (or better yet, in person as they are touring). Andrew Heath plays bass and backs up on vocals, and Myke Buttonz in on drums (is that a real name? My auto-correct hated it). There's some additional instrumentations on the album like trumpet, violin, piano, keyboards, ukulele, glockenspiels and other incidentals sprinkled here and there, plus some lovely female vocals.

Bear Ghost's music has a fun and irresistible quality (I doubt there's anyone out there who wouldn't be tempted to sing along in the 'la la la la la' parts on the album's opening track). I noticed in a live video of the band that the audiences sing loudly along with the band on stage and in effect become part of the performance. 

Humour, and to a degree, silliness, is on full display in the band, and without any of those downer irreverence vibes. No, this music is uplifting and can even be triumphant. The final track 'Vulture' is passionate and emotional, and the only 'slow song' on the album, and it's damn good as well. In fact, that's my only 'complaint' about the album- I'd like to hear some more slow songs by the band- just to balance it out a bit, but that's coming from an older music-fan dad dude. (Please note: there's a bonus track at the end of my CD which features an acoustic guitar/vocal song- beautiful!)

Some of the songs would be great in Scooby Doo cartoons during the monster chase segments. I hope that doesn't sound mean- I actually LOVE Scooby Doo (some of the remakes are better than others). Props on the album graphics too.

Bear Ghost are so out-of-the-ordinary they may have pioneered a new category of music, a term which they have all around their website and Facebook pages: "Adventure Rock." Prog dog scores this "Adventure Rock" album a more than respectable 4 bones out of 5. (*The score may go up- I like to reserve the right to do this over time if albums soak further into my soul). 

Cyan "Pictures from the Other Side" ALBUM REVIEW [Neo-Prog] (NEW RELEASE- 2023)

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media (album released November 17, 2023)

During the 25 or so years that I was not following the prog music scene, I would occasionally peer over the hedges in case something interested me there. Magenta, a Welsh neo-prog group, was one that caught my ear over at bandcamp.com . 

I've been newly introduced to another related project by Magenta's keyboardist and composer Robert Reed. He has re-assembled a band called CYAN with vocalist Pete Jones (Camel) along with Luke Machin and Dan Nelson, to record a new album called Pictures from the Other Side (an entirely re-writen, re-worked, re-imagined remake of a 1994 release of the same name). 

The first half of the album evokes a modern interpretation of the style of The Alan Parsons Project. Flowing from the neo-prog vein, it's a softer rock - but still quite punchy, with some 80s jazz fusion vibes at times, plus a bit of funkiness. It's well-balanced sounding album- tastefully produced and richly melodic while maintaining a gorgeous and majestic tone overall. The male lead vocals by Pete Jones are flawless performed with occasional slightly-mesmerizing and complimentary female vocals. There are symphonic passages and hints of 1970s Genesis inspiration, but really the scope of the entire album is engagingly varied.

CYAN lean more into 'pleasant' than 'harder edged' with plenty of keyboard/piano work, but some blistering guitar parts as well. There's a bit of fine sax work, as well as harp- it's really quite diverse but without sounding scattered. In fact once you get to the final 2 tracks (at 10 and 18 minutes length)... Yeah! They stitch the album together and bring balance to this universe... in a fun and epic way revealing that the first half album was just a warm-up, finishing on a truly triumphant and fantastic curtain-closing chord. 

Prog dog scores this exceptionally produced album a super-solid 4 out of 5 bones-- overflowing with fine displays of musicianship, some great acoustic piano and synth solos, wind instruments, understated but elegant bass-playing prowess, tasteful guitar soloing, and top tier vocal expositions in both lead and harmonies a-plenty. (Fave tracks: 'Solitary Angel', 'Tomorow's Here Today' and the cinematic Neo-prog epic 'Nosferatu').

T.A.P. "Paradigms" ALBUM REVIEW [Explorative Prog Rock Instrumental]

by Dean Wolfe, Prog dog Media     (Album released October 2023)

I remember my dad had one of the albums by The Ventures in the family collection. It's an instrumental surf-themed rock band from the '60s. Boy, how far we've come in the instrumental rock genre!

T.A.P. is a studio project featuring musicians from various parts of the world who are fluent in the rhythmic and musical language of progressive rock. They share a few things in common: good jam-sense and exceptional creativity. 

What's most interesting to me about this album is its richness and variety and the adventurous spirit that animates it. If you're looking for a jazz fusion album, this is not it, though there are some splashes of jazz. In fact I don't recall hearing that many instrumental prog themed records that are not dominated by jazz-rock. So T.A.P. manages to stay mostly away from those more commonly taken pathways and instead offers up truly unique musical vistas by leaning into ambient, ethnic, blues and psychedelic influences. 

The album meanders purposefully like a smooth volcanic lava flow from tune to tune, from idea to idea, never repeating itself, never treating any one idea as too precious not to follow and see where it takes its host musician. Be it Mike Jobborn on keyboards, synth, soundscapes, drum programming, or Mark Cook on the Stick-like Warr guitar, guitars, basses, drums, soundscapes, synths, samples or strings. Then you've got Suzi James on guitars, basses, oud, flute, random percussion and Gayle Ellett covering keyboards such as Hammond, Moog and mellotron (Ellett is from another instrumental prog band that apparently I need to look into called Djam Karet). A couple of tracks feature drummers in the flesh: Paul Sears (track 5) and Bill Bachman (track 8).  The tracks with drum programming are so good that I was fooled. 

I won't use the word 'metal' as a descriptive here either because the music is couched in rock and hard rock in general. This will be a plus to those who are not fans of djent or super-dense Dream Theater-type electric guitar distortion (just hints of it in parts). 

Prog dog scores this impressive album a solid 3 and 1/2 bones out of 5 bones. I would have given it 4 except we really value drummers in the flesh on all of the tracks if at all possible. We really do love this CD though. It commands your full attention and isn't a 'put it on and ignore it' album just because it's fully instrumental. (Correction: there are some vocalizations on a track or two that are ethereal and used for effect.) There's plenty here to 'study'. It has plenty of musical meat and potatoes and is a rare instrumental offering that proves you don't always have to rely on jazz tropes (except for a bit here and there) to create an instrumental prog buffet. So bring your appetite to this table of solid offerings, it's sure to fill you up. 

my YouTube video version review is here...