My search for all things prog 2016 starts out almost where it began. Loyal followers may recall I took the tangent road marked "All Things Prog" back in August 2013 and reviewed a prog quartet called Falling Edge in November of that year. I was quite impressed with the band's ability to forge their own style while paying homage to the standard bearers of the genre. I am happy to report that in November 2015 Falling Edge released their second album, "Convergence at Fossil Falls." Seeing as how "the search for all things prog" has become my mantra and Falling Edge has withstood the tests of time, adversity, determination, and talent, I am opening 2016 with a review of said album as the Concert Closet heads due north to the friendly tundra known as Ontario, Canada...
The album opens with an intriguing number called "Minstrel in the Corner." A melancholy opening painted with a dark brush, the mood slowly moves away from the edge of despair, clinging--albeit a bit loosely--to a settling of sorts, as if all is right with the world if this is all the world has to offer. The guitar work picks up and proceeds to tear through the center of the song like a chainsaw slicing a wedding cake. Now that the floodgates are open, the drums carry the weight perfectly, highlighting keyboards that begin with a "Twilight Zonesque" darkness and ultimately accentuate a feeling of hope and excitement...yes it is good to be back!
Being a sucker for title cuts, I move a little further down the playlist, allowing the laser to spew forth the sounds of "Convergence at Fossil Falls." The song opens dark and somber; true to the title. Keyboards begin their ascent across the top and slowly...deliberately...the light seeps through. Vocals pierce with a painful outcry as you feel the guitar effortlessly wrap itself around the entire piece trying to shield its innocence. Falling Edge emits top notes of Jethro Tull and a vapor of early Genesis...music spills across the canvas like so much snow on a cabin tucked deep in a lost hollow. A taste of The Strawbs coats the vocals like the molasses in Grandma's home made cookies. The music draws you in almost hypnotically; your emotions are numbed into a sense of calm foreboding until the end, when you realize the roller coaster ride dropped you on the other side of serenity.
Liner Notes...Falling Edge continues to be a conundrum. Founded in 2004 in Chatham, Ontario and led by founding member Chris Rupert, Falling Edge follows the how-to manual written by Yes for going through personnel changes. Players have left, returned, left again, come back again...and fortunately the music does not suffer. The line-up responsible for "Convergence at Fossil Falls" is the aforementioned Chris Rupert on guitars, keyboards, and lead vocals, playing alongside Matt Broadbent on bass and vocals, Steve Kubica on keyboards, and Kevin Tetreault on drums, percussion, and vocals. Andrea McColeman is credited for the dark keyboards on "Minstrel in the Corner."
In my previous review of the band I wrote that Falling Edge was a testament to fine craftsmanship and will be mentoring up-and-coming prog bands, and I still believe that. "Convergence at Fossil Falls" is a statement album--this is a band that defies labeling by the masses, occupies its own acreage in the prog garden, continues to pay homage to the masters while redefining and growing the genre, and simply refuses to give up. By blazing their own trail through the prog garden, Falling Edge cuts a path other bands can choose to follow or tangent off from to forge their own avenue. Yes, prog is alive, well, and so ready to change the 2016 landscape!
My final song for review from the album is a stronger, more direct-hit of a piece called "Dark Matter." From the onset you feel up-ended by powerful guitar and keyboards. The music strikes fast and grabs your frontal lobe as you are taken on a haunting ride through an emotional forest...and falling Edge knows all your hot buttons. The light flashes you see are not only fear, dread, and trepidation; you are also given an adult dose of excitement and exhilaration. Careful what you wish for...
The track posted below is another affecting piece called "The Sniper, the Piper, and Me." As the song opens I feel as though I am in an old jazz lounge after hours...listening to Keith Jarrett or Thelonious Monk play to a crowd of one...and then the tension builds...and explodes. Falling Edge paints you into a corner here and then proceeds to highlight the only path out...or is it just a thinly disguised ruse wrapped in Syd Barrett logic? As goes the storyteller, so goes the story...listener beware...
Learn more about the ever-changing world of Falling Edge and purchase your copy of this captivating album in the medium of your choice at http://www.fallingedgemusic.com/. You can also purchase "Convergence at Fossil Falls," their self titled debut album, or individual songs on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/falling-edge/id643889640. For those who opt to delve deeper below the surface there is Twitter @FallingEdgeband, Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/Fallingedge/?ref=ts, Myspace https://myspace.com/fallingedge, and Reverbnation https://www.reverbnation.com/fallingedge. Lots of links so as to eliminate excuses for not checking out a sound worth listening to...
Well fellow progheads, the journey into 2016 has begun and what a ride it promises to be! Falling Edge is nothing short of a brilliant lead-in as the search for all things prog continues on. Surviving more than a decade on determination, talent, and the absolute refusal to fold the tent, Falling Edge continues to burn bright where so many others have faded. The prog garden is in dire need of bands with roots this strong. While it feels great to be back at the search for all things prog, the emotional rush rises to a burning zeal to find more prog gems in the garden...until next week...
No comments:
Post a Comment