I am proud to say that each week since I started this journey I have successfully found a shelf with new offerings unknown to me prior to this blog. It has been fun, exciting, and dare I say educational to discover so much new progressive music filling the internet airwaves. It is refreshing to find so many good options out there, especially with corporate radio clogged with the latest vanilla, tasteless, mundane, feces being thrown at our youth...ahhh, but I digress...only happy thoughts here...
Today I have stopped in front of the section labeled, "The Room." They call themselves a "crossover prog band." Hmmm...yet another progressive rock group I have not heard on the airwaves or my stereo.
Perhaps it is time for new addition to the menu...let's find out what "crossover" is prog lingo for...
I start out with a song called "Flesh and Bone." After a quick flashback to Pink Floyd with the chopper sound effects, I get a sense of a strong first cut. Once the drums start and the music begins, the sound is very bold and definite. The bass line is strong and the keyboards have a prominent place in this tune. Everything seems to mesh; these guys are feeding off each other and the result is a strong first taste. However; if I didn't know better, I could mistake the sound for an early Fixx release...on to cut number two...
"A Casual Believer" opens strong and definite just as "Flesh and Bone" did...The Room has dialed in a style and a sound that makes them recognizable once you get familiar. The vocals are good,and the song is very clean. Not sure who did the mixing on this song, but I can tell it wasn't his first time playing with the controls. The guitar work is excellent and carries through in respectable fashion.
OK...time for the obligatory "look backstage." The Room is Martin Wilson on vocals, Andrew Rae on drums, Andy Rowe on bass, Steve Anderson on guitar, and Steve Checkley on keyboards. Andrew is also credited as founding member of The Room and everyone has been in the prog music world for a while. Steve and Martin are former members of Grey Lady Down and the others have also played in various prog rock bands. The Room formed in 2010 and hit the world hard in 2011. The Room is five multi-talented musicians; each contributes to the songwriting and has an influence on the sound and musical direction.
The songwriting has hints of late Genesis; post "And Then There Were Three" when Phil Collins began to steer the band away from the prog world toward the bright lights and big arenas. Don't get wrong; I like the sound of this band, I just get the feeling "crossover prog" translates to a more mainstream sound than I am accustomed to...but I did set out to broaden my knowledge and expand my pallet, so let's keep going, shall we? One thing I have learned about progressive music in recent months...the definition has evolved. Most bands (with any talent and morals) today try hard to steer away from the "mainstream pop and rock" label with good reason. I would sooner crawl naked doused in rubbing alcohol through broken glass than be associated in any way with Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, et al...but again; I digress...
"The Spark" is a song that starts out slow and subtle...but listener beware; it may move over your ears like a ballad, but it breaks through with a steady thump, strong melodic vocals, and a marching band drum that leads the bass through a tight, well choreographed beat. The song is good and The Room is definitely filled with talent. So I like what I hear...but I am still looking for that one song able to kick my butt up and over my shoulders. One more look around The Room and what do I see...
For my last song this week I find "Screaming Through The Noise." This is what I was looking for when I walked in the library today...a song that opens with mystery and suspense, only to cut right through your ribs, kick your heart, and reverberate through your extremities. This is crossover prog at its finest. You can feel the emotion in Martin's voice; heck each note drips with blood. Everything works here...the guitar, drums, keys, even the backing vocals are sung with a rawness that comes through like a meat cleaver. It's official--I'm a fan. When I went looking for new and unfamiliar prog, this is the type of sound I was hoping to find. Building from here there will be a house around The Room in no time...
The cut below is "Screaming Through The Noise." Once again I go against my "different link than what was reviewed" rule but this song is so powerful, raw, and real I wanted you to have a taste of what I have quickly come to appreciate as "crossover prog." There is an intensity to this song that makes me want to dim the lights and sway in my chair slowly...
You can get a better view of The Room by visiting their website at theroom.eu including additional links to more music.
So far so good...my prog playlist has grown quite a bit in five weeks and I have only scratched the surface. Next week I will force myself to venture down yet another untrodden aisle in my never ending search for all things prog. Now where did I put that candelabra? Until next week...
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