Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Sir Chronicles

Hello and thanks for coming back, fellow progheads!  A week sitting oceanside was just what the prog doctor ordered...and now the search for all things prog resumes.  Continuing the journey after a seven day sojourn, I decided to take the Concert Closet on a return trip to Italy, a progressive music "mecca" of sorts.  This week I spent time enjoying the melodic, captivating sounds of Sir Chronicles.

Billing themselves as a "...prog/rock and fusion project..." Sir Chronicles peels back the outer layer of your cerebellum so as to delve that much deeper into your consciousness...striking you in the center of your thought process.



Having been away from the prog buffet, I am eager to get started, so let us saunter up and grab that first serving; a platter filled with "Tears of Love."  The opening storm peppered with the barking of stray dogs prepares you for a dark, cautious walk down a rain soaked alley.  The bass line wakes your inner gate-keeper, but there is little cause for alarm--this storm is not life threatening.  Top notes of  Under the Psycamore come through delicately, blending with hints of Radiohead as Sir Chronicles fills the canvas with various pale to dark hues...

Going back for more, Sir Chronicles serves up a mind teaser called "Disturbing."  Waiting for the intro, you begin to feel a swarm of bees haunting you from the inside...and then the drums take over. As the music builds its strength, the swarming never fully subsides--but it is overtaken by strong gusts of guitar and bass.  This song is a heavy hitter with aromatics of the Crimson ProjeKct wafting through.  Listening once more just to feel the electricity travel my spine, I sense a Flim & The BB's vibe here as well.  Sir Chronicles tends to acreage in the prog garden usually hit with heavy rain as the sunset begins to dull the skyline...not so much a profound darkness as simply the next stage in the cycle...and that bass line has a scent of Stanley Clarke...

Liner Notes...Sir Chronicles hails from one my favorite prog hotspots, Italy.  Bra, in the Piedmont region, Province of Cuneo to be a bit more precise.  Band members are Alessandro Bordino on bass guitar and keyboards, Edoardo Barbero on guitar, Ettore Coraglia on keyboards and mastering, and Efrem Note on drums.  Relative newcomers to the prog garden, Sir Chronicles is in the process of recording eight original tunes, all written and composed by founding member Alessandro.

Bringing a new perspective to the prog garden, Sir Chronicles takes the listener into deeper but not necessarily rugged terrain...the thinking person's prog you might say...notice their logo.  Sir Chronicles furrows deep into the auditory recesses that lie dormant in so many...kicking at your slumbering unconsciousness...

The last serving this week is a live  cut called "Sbrigidi."  The acoustics are not the best, but the piece is worthy of a listen.  Sir Chronicles tends to move in for the kill after setting you up for the attack...slowly moving around you with methodical precision.  However; on this song they burst through with a bit more fervor up front and then back peddle--just a bit.  The bass has a special place in this band; it stands front and center in most of their music...and while Chris Squire may be smiling down from prog heaven, this does not equate to Sir Chronicles being a one-trick pony.  This is a band that has chops and is tending their own acreage in the prog garden quite nicely, thank you very much.

Learn more about Sir Chronicles at their website, Sir Chronicles.  Social media links include the usual Facebook at SC Facebook, where you can check out the band's music, tour dates, and other information, and Twitter @AlessandroRiche to keep up with the band's latest musings.  Sir Chronicles also has a YouTube channel at SC YouTube where you can hear not only their music, but also discover what motivates and inspires them.   
    
I chose the clip below for your listening pleasure and education this week, "Genova City."  Once again the bass sits upright and bold as Alessandro channels Jaco Pastorius this time.  This song takes you through the streets on a smooth and steady ride, handling oncoming traffic and chaos like a Hummer at a Bumper Car carnival ride.  Sir Chronicles may be youthful both as a band and in terms of its members; but here youth is not wasted on the young.  Enjoy the ride and don't worry about the airbag deploying...you are safe here...  


                           

Well  fellow progheads, we find ourselves once again at the end of a an incredible week...seven days filled with impressive prog created by another "uncovered gem" from the prog garden.  The search for all things prog is back on track and continues to bring you the prog garden's finest.  Getting the Concert Closet back on the trail, I am off to find yet another undiscovered treasure...until next week...

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