Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Ephemeral Sun

A humble and heartfelt thank you for coming back once again fellow progheads!  Last week's visit to Russia was quite enjoyable and extremely special.  For me there is great pleasure in discovering prog bands that bring so much to the genre.  In my quest for all things prog I have taken the Concert Closet to numerous places near and far, exotic and lackluster--but most importantly filled with great prog.  This week proves to be yet another long distance voyage as I head back to recognizable food, street signs I can read, and the familiar sounds of domestic chaos...welcome to Virginia USA and the sounds of Ephemeral Sun.

Ephemeral Sun calls themselves an "...exercise in contrasts...music that balances elements both cerebral and visceral in nature."  Fellow progheads know I could never drive by that lead-in without at least a taste of what was behind the curtain, so let us now hit the headphones for what I anticipate to be an excellent week of ear feasting...

We start the prog buffet this week with a song called "Memoirs."  A very nice piano opening; mood is set with dark tones yet the ambiance is rather peaceful...however; I smell storm clouds.  The air is filled with aromas of Marillion and just a touch of "Funeral for a Friend."  The guitar picks up the tempo a bit and sways the mood away from the precipice while drums enter the cerebellum just enough to carry the weight. While the storm never quite pounds the shore that is the inner lining of my skull, I sense Ephemeral Sun has many a mood swing in its playlist...

Serving number two is a piece called "Prism."  The song starts out strong as the drums lay a foundation on which the guitars start to build.  I pick up very strong scents of Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment.  Keyboards are added and the song begins to intensify...but not in a menacing way. I get more of a victorious vibe...a sort of "Good vs. Evil" mood with Good winning out in the end.

Liner Notes...Ephemeral Sun is John Battema on keyboards, Charles Gore on bass, Brian O'Neill on guitars, and Allen Lind currently on drums.  Laurie Ann Haus peppered the band's debut album with great vocals. Originally formed in 2002, Ephemeral Sun is the offspring of doom metal band Rain Fell Within. Releasing their first album in 2004, Ephemeral Sun began to explore other areas of music, melding bits and pieces of jazz, prog, avante garde, symphonic, and even some experimental sounds into their own style. While spreading roots mainly in the symphonic section of the prog garden, Ephemeral Sun has sown seeds throughout the entire acreage.

My final selection from the buffet this week is a tune called "Discovery."  A much darker piece, this is from Ephemeral Sun's first album.  I sense walking through a tunnel and rapidly descending into an earlier time. Laurie Ann's vocals haunt throughout the song, helping create an atmosphere that wants to draw you into the past while feeding off that same energy to strive forward.  Some top notes of Tool and Beardfish run through this song; Ephemeral Sun has unquestionably grown up prog.  Learn more about Ephemeral Sun at
http://www.ephemeralsun.com/index.html

The clip below is called "Winter Has No Mercy."  Another selection from the dark metal side of prog...but Ephemeral Sun does a lot with it.  The almost military-like rhythmic drum in the beginning sets a mood that takes one deep into the inner sanctum of an otherwise casual mind.  The tempo swings back-and-forth and there are moments of sheer gloom and upbeat hope strung together like so many pearls on a sparkling gold chain. Ephemeral Sun is able to run the gambit of emotions while performing, whether it be in a studio or on stage live.  



One more week and one more prog band uncovered for your listening pleasure.  The Concert Closet has logged many summer miles; now that the sun is beginning to set around dinner time, the morning air has a bit of a nip in it, and the "dog days" are behind us, I am excited to discover what autumn has in store as I continue my search for all things prog.  Time to get some laundry done, load up on canned goods, and clean out the Concert Closet...until next week...   
 

  











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