Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Abstract Aprils...Everything

Faithful followers and fellow progheads; welcome back to the Closet Concert Arena!  As February draws to a close, my thoughts have begun to wander a more ambient path...so naturally I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to mosey on back to Missoulsa, Montana and see what Collin Welner has been up to.  For those of you with a bent for ambient music and a good memory, you may recall the Concert Closet made this journey in the search for all things prog in April 2015.  Taking a mental break from the metal and more boisterous sections of the prog garden, I traveled a tranquil road this week to check out the new sounds from Abstract Aprils...



Collin describes Abstract Aprils as "...music for daydreaming..." Although Brian Eno may wear the moniker of ambient music master, Collin is quite the apt pupil.  I already feel the hot stones being placed on my spine as stress and tension are released.  The opening cut is appropriately titled "Peace" and as my mind melts into the music, I feel as if I am submerged in a jacuzzi.  There is a calming undertone passing through the headphones; much like lying on a beach while high tide starts to slowly wash over your feet and you feel yourself sinking into the sand...

Shuffling further down the buffet line with a bit of a relaxed gait, I come across a morsel that seems rather soothing in its own right, "Belief In Angels."  The opening sounds are almost transcendent as they carry you ever so delicately...like a leaf floating downstream.  The cascading water droplets that appear in the background can be both mollifying and unnerving at the same time...ahhh, the wonder that is ambient music!  Abstract Aprils crawls inside your head and just drifts around...allowing you to wander through dreamscapes, thoughts, images, and emotions while nestled comfortably under your headphones.

Liner Notes...as mentioned previously, Abstract Aprils is the creation of Montana native Collin Welner.  Collin released his debut "blossom ends" in  2014 and I am tremendously pleased to see his sophomore release "Everything" come to fruition.  Ambient music was taken to a new level and given major attention when Brian Eno began painting the landscape so eloquently and Robert Fripp exposed Soundscapes.  Flim & The BB's dabbled in the ambient world too, as does the Bang on a Can All Stars.  Abstract Aprils carries the torch high, blazing a soothing trail across a calming meadow.  Ambient is to music what dessert is to a meal...a pleasant respite.  Abstract Aprils takes the listener on a voyage inside the cerebral matter; a journey that meanders across the intellectual hill and dale.  Abstract Aprils does wonders for the weary after spending time on the treadmill known as the daily grind...relaxation for the soul you might say...

My final serving for review this week is a blistery piece of sorts called "Quiet Temper."  Abstract Aprils is almost Orwellian here; the sounds careen in and out like a cotton lined echo chamber...you can sense the emotional pendulum swinging...swinging...not with force; more of a subtle determination to carry you across that threshold where conscious thought meets subliminal action. Your senses are fooled momentarily as you become woven into the fabric that is the music...

Learn more about Collin Welner and Abstract Aprils on the Facebook page Abstract Aprils FB and on Soundcloud at AA Soundcloud.  Of course I implore you to support Abstract Aprils and all the bands on these pages by making  a purchase.  You can scratch the itch and loosen the purse strings at the Abstract Aprils' Bandcamp AA Bandcamp and iTunes  AA iTunes pages.  For more up-to-the-minute information you can follow Abstract Aprils on Twitter @AbstractAprils.

The post below is a siren call to lure you in for more "sounds for daydreaming;" a snippet from the "Everything" album.  Merely an appetizer to tease your senses and draw you in.  Let the breeze ruffle your hair, the waves roll gently over your feet, and the carpet carry you away... bon appetit...


So my fellow progheads, the search for all things prog this week took an alternate trajectory across the prog garden--with a focus on cleansing the mind and soul.  The Concert Closet has been traveling the globe for almost three years now, and every lap around the sun leaves me sated and satisfied.
Abstract Aprils occupies acreage in the ambient section of the prog garden, a place not exactly crowded with occupants. However; the genre is fuller and richer because Abstract Aprils and others are able to tap that mood...permeating deeper below the surface...bringing forth a sound that is both soothing and intriguing.

From here, as the saying goes, the search for all things prog continues on, and no section of the garden is off limits...until next time...

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

The Mute Gods "tardigrades will inherit the earth"

Welcome back as always fellow progheads to the Closet Concert Arena!  The search for all things prog takes a tangent trajectory as we delve deeper into 2017.  This week the Concert Closet uncovers a band made of superior parts that has made quite a mark in the prog garden already, yet may be lesser known to those new to the garden or simply looking for something off the beaten path.  Not being a fan of the mainstream, I continually search for the next new thing; that "I just want to sit under the headphones awhile" sound...and with that I welcome you to the latest release from The Mute Gods, "tardigrades will inherit the earth."



The Mute Gods, while originating as an outlet for Nick Beggs, is a band with not only a great sound and strong voice--they also have  a powerful message.  This is a timely album to say the least; "tardigrades will inherit the earth" hits you right in the listeners with statements, warnings, pleas, and shouts about the world and what we are doing to it.  If only my parents understood the importance of prog rock, my teen years would have contained so much less angst...

The album will be available February 24th, but the Closet Concert Arena has been given the privilege of an early listen so as to review this gem prior to release...so let us dive headlong with ears and mind wide open into what is sure to be a sumptuous prog buffet...

The album opens with a rather dark, ominous waltz; "Saltatio Mortis."  Translated from the Latin; the "Dance of Death."  Closing my eyes, I feel as though I am watching a funeral procession--perhaps for humanity?  Veiled in gloomy shadows, the music marches forth like a lion stalking its prey...guitars flow masterfully through the keyboards much like high tide creeping up the sands...and then a fade to black.  This will be an adult dose...

Moving down the buffet line I stop for a large slice of the title cut.  The song opens extremely upbeat while waxing prophetic about the inability of mankind to figure out just what the hell we're doing to this planet we call home...the juxtaposition of complete opposites seems to be the hallmark of this album.  It is brilliant in that it mirrors reality; how happy we seem to be while walking headlong into our own destruction. The drums lift the keyboards and guitars masterfully, sending them cascading into your cranium like autos bouncing off guardrails on the interstate after hitting black ice.

Liner Notes...The Mute Gods, albeit conceived in the mind of Nick Beggs, is quite the power trio. Consisting not only of the aforementioned Mr. Beggs on bass, stick, guitars, keyboards, vocals, and programming; the Mute Gods has Roger King on guitars, keyboards, backing vocals, programming and production, and Marco Minneman on drums, percussion, guitars, and sound design. Three musicians, many hats, and a tremendously unique sound.  The prog garden just expanded its boundaries...



The Mute Gods released their debut, "do nothing till you hear from me" in January 2016, and this second release will makes it mark on the prog music world this week.  An exceptionally strong follow up, "tardigrades" delivers all you would expect from a prog band with such a range of talent. Exceptional song writing that fills the cranium with thought provoking and powerful imagery...of course the guitar, percussion, and keyboard work that expand the outer boundaries of the prog garden are no surprise and actually a satisfying carpet ride in the search for all things prog.

My final selection from this high protein/high calorie prog feast is a fast hitting poke-in-the-eye called "The Dumbing of the Stupid."  A sobering message wrapped in a Marco Minneman hard shell of percussion and drums that pours forth a foundation allowing for guitar work that will unhinge your ears from the inside...a penetrating piece that screams "WAKE UP!" while not-so-gently smacking you in the face.  Nick drives home a point while trying to convince you he is on your side in this insanity.

The Mute Gods are an exciting addition to the prog garden, bringing  an explosive urgency much like being handed a gift wrapped in pastel paper that is ticking.  There is a Porcupine Tree meets Liquid Tension Experiment feel throughout...the tempo and mood consistently red line while at the same time urging you to pause and think.  Find out more about The Mute Gods and purchase their music at TheMuteGods. You can follow the band on Facebook at MuteGods FB and of course
Twitter @themutegods.  For those so inclined, check out The Mute Gods' record label, Inside Out Music, at InsideOutMusic.  You can purchase The Mute Gods and other prog music there.

To whet your appetite and  encourage foot traffic in the prog garden, I offer the video clip below called "We Can't Carry On."  Once again The Mute Gods pour thought and insight into your cerebellum via the auditory canals in an effort to do more than simply entertain...they educate through music...prog music...

                     

Another evening well spent in the prog garden fellow progheads; I hope you enjoyed the review and the music.  Yet another sign that the prog garden offers more than just great music to the masses; The Mute Gods force you to think while they infiltrate your mind via the headphones.  The search for all things prog digs deeper through every section of the prog garden, looking to unearth nuggets previously unknown or overlooked.  The Mute Gods may use a sledgehammer to hang a Picasso, but they also force you to turn your head and listen--and that is the point after all...until next week...

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Cure For Gravity

Welcome once again to the Closet Concert Arena fellow progheads!  The search for all things prog continues its westward shuffle as we go all the way to the left coast; more precisely the greater San Francisco Bay area.  This week the Concert Closet checks out the sounds of Cure For Gravity, a relative new comer to the prog garden.  Cure For Gravity recently released their full length debut album while having an earlier EP already on their resume.  Always interesting and enjoyable to check out fresh growth, so let the headphone festivities begin...



Cure For Gravity bill themselves as "...atmospheric Cine-Rock..." so I am expecting a multi-layered, ornate, mind altering  trek of sorts through the prog garden this week.  The band just dropped their eponymous debut in October, so let us step eagerly to the buffet and get this journey started...

The first portion carved from the unveiling is called "Tonight" and there is a bit of a celestial feel to the sound...top notes of Fairport Convention entwined with aromatics of The Strawbs...and all of it encapsulated in a Spock's Beard shell...tasty.  The song isn't dark so much as it is "industrial."  There is a feel to the music as though it is trying to swallow you whole without causing any harm, much like a python soothing you to sleep as it embraces you. The vocals come to the forefront as guitar and keyboards take a step back.  That is not to say they fade--they simply fill the perimeter of your cranium as you take flight...

Moving along the buffet line, I stumble across a healthy slice of "Black Metal."  Closing my eyes as the song opens, I am taken through the eye of the storm ever so quickly as chaos gives way to calm. The guitar work lives up to the description; there is something "otherworldly" about the mood here...
There are aromatics of Radiohead wafting through the air, and perhaps a top note of Psicolorama floating in the headphones as well.  Cure For Gravity can be ornate without weighing so heavily you can't breathe; like the feeling you get from finishing that second burrito--and then catching a glimpse of a banana split in your peripheral vision...you got this!

 Liner Notes...hailing from the Oakland CA area, Cure For Gravity spends time in Berkeley and is comprised of Joe Markert on vocals, keyboards, and guitars, Dave Walcott on guitars and vocals, and Chris Gamper on drums.  There are additional musicians contributing to this album, but Cure For Gravity is ultimately a three-headed beast;  a trio that manages to fill the headphones, and consequently your auditory canals, with sights and sounds that light up the inner lining of your cranium like a pinball machine on tilt.

Cure For Gravity has been a band since 2010 and originally released the EP, "Fallen Stars" in 2012. The next four years saw the band going through line-up changes and defining/fine tuning their sound. Cure For Gravity released their debut full length album this past October--but there is no rest for the weary...Joe, Dave, and Chris are working on album #2 with an anticipated release date sometime in 2018.

Cure For Gravity saunters through the prog garden like a kid walking the aisles at Toys R Us; looking for clues, ideas, and inspiration. Taking all their bushel basket can hold, CFG proceeds to interpret and channel a unique sound that blends top notes ranging from Radiohead to The Clash with a zinger of Atlas Volt blended in just for the intrigue...

My final selection for review has a bit more hitch to the giddyup; "Just Like Candy."  The guitars seem to tease the drums as they dance across the top of the song like Mitch Miller's bouncing ball. Brighter colors spill down the canvas as the mood elevator starts its climb...I get an Ebn Ozn vibe from this tune. Cure For Gravity pulls the curtain back just a bit here, exposing the smooth under belly of simplicity that lies beneath the elaborate trappings of an atmospheric cine-rock exterior...a bit of fun in the science lab...

You can find out more about Cure For Gravity on their website Cure For Gravity and their Facebook page Cure For Gravity FB.  If the sounds you hear meet your approval, please support this--and all the bands I review by purchasing their music.  You can order the album on their Bandcamp site
Cure For Gravity Bandcamp and iTunes at Cure For Gravity iTunes.  You can also follow the band on Twitter, @cfgmusic.

The clip posted below is called "Push."  Perhaps a bit on the melancholy side, this song fills the canvas with soft pastels overcoming clouds of grey...you can feel the emotion rolling off the disc like water droplets falling off rose petals.  There is a touch of Jesse Colin Young floating across the lyrics; the vocals are a bit heavier yet that soft touch while bringing across something deep and thought provoking is almost transcendent...


                     


And once again fellow progheads, a fortnight has come and gone and once again another band has been exposed to the light.  Cure For Gravity may walk the eclectic, atmospheric section of the prog garden, but along the way they discovered the concept of bringing sounds from different sections together and making them sui generis.

Cure For Gravity has started blazing their own path, and the future looks to be bright.  And so too The Concert Closet continues to blaze a trail through the prog garden in search of all things prog...until next time...