Servants of Science "Another Day (The Swan Song Live)"

Hazy, hot, humid prog greetings fellow progheads!  The thermometer seems to have a never ending supply of mercury attempting to "ring the bell," much like that guy at the county fair trying to win his sweetheart the kewpie doll by swinging the sledgehammer...

This week the search for all things prog takes another one of my famous alternate trajectories as The Closet Concert Arena revisits a recently reviewed band that has taken their own alternate trajectory of sorts.  Servants of Science independently released their debut "The Swan Song" in December 2017, and riding on the success of this amazing album, the band has since partnered with Progressive Gears

Records to release "Another Day (The Swan Song: Live)" and asked me to review this release as well.  This presented a many faceted challenge as I struggled with my approach; review as a totally new record solely on its merits, or compare live cuts side-by-side to studio cuts?  Perhaps a swirl of both; a totally new record reviewed for content, live sound quality, and the ability to capture the essence of the original recording.  Cue the Concert Closet, here we go...

I open with  "Another Day."  For me, live and concept albums are similar in that you need to play them through completely and in song order to really capture the essence of what the band/artist is trying to convey. Since this is a live concept album, I thought it best follow my own advice...

As the song opens you almost forget this is a live performance; the sunrise over planet earth as you view from afar seems as real as your reflection.  Servants of Science capture the raw emotion that flowed through the studio version and spill it across the stage...I feel like I'm in 3rd grade watching Apollo 11 land on the moon all over again...

Except for the audience applause, the flow into "Kaleidoscope" is as smooth as melted caramel caressing a granny smith apple.  I am taken back to my original interpretation of this song and the depth of emotions that oozed forth; to capture those feelings live is a statement to the intensity the band brings to this performance.  The guitars seem to melt in Ian's, Helena's, and Neil's hands as notes escape through the headphones...

Liner Notes...Servants of Science is founding member Stuart Avis on keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals, Ian Brocken on lead guitar, Neil Beards on acoustic guitar and vocals, Helena DeLuca on rhythm guitar and vocals, Andy Bay on bass, and Adam McKee on drums.  Started in Brighton UK in 2017, the band was originally a project begun by Stuart and Andy, culminating in the 2018 release of "The Swan Song."  OK; enough talk...let's get back to the reason we're gathered in the prog garden in the first place...

Moving down the playlist a bit I stop on "Peripheral."  Another gentle beginning that steadily gathers inner strength--the formula Servants of Science uses to enter your mind and walk delicately across your cranium... 

You can find this album and the entire Progressive Gears catalog of music at SoS Progressive Gears  There is also a direct link to this particular download at their Bandcamp site SoS Swan Song Live .  Information about the band can be found on Facebook Servants of Science FB and Twitter @ServantsScience.

The performance concludes with "Burning in the Cold."  The music cascades over the audience like a gentle spring shower and slowly builds strength until soft waves crash tamely at their feet...a benign storm that cleanses your inner mind.  Servants of Science uses dark hues to bring this masterpiece to life, each brush stroke a beat in a steady pulse as the music awakens...

To illustrate the band's ability to capture the original depth of this album live I bring you the song "Servants of Science."  As with the original, this cut is a bit harder as it penetrates deeper; dark colors fill the pallet as Servants of Science continue to pull you in all directions...is it the demise of the planet or an astronaut going mad, wandering alone in space..?

                       

Servants of Science captures the essence of the original album in a live setting; the mood, personal turmoil, shock, sadness, and even a bit of inner peace as the album winds down.  The prog garden is a vast open space serving as the backdrop to a sound explosion that fills the mind with images as opposed to simply clogging the auditory sensors with noise.

The search for all things prog enjoyed a macro view of the world from above as Servants of Science showed you the audience how to listen with your mind as well as your ears.  Now the journey continues, but from this point forward observing a different vantage point...until next time...