I Am The Morning "Lighthouse"

Another seven days have passed and  I welcome you back fellow progheads!  The search for all things prog has brought me to some fascinating places and unearthed many wonderful discoveries; the band I am reviewing this week scores high on that list.  My journey has not taken me to Russia very often--I believe my passport is stamped but twice for stops in Alaska's  neighbor.  However; I Am the Morning has convinced me to bring The Closet Concert Arena this way more often.

Calling themselves a "Chamber progressive rock duo...mixing prog with classical music and writing songs about death" is a calling card I cannot ignore.  "Lighthouse" is the fifth album from I Am The Morning, released on KScope records. With album number six due in the fall, I thought this a good time to stop by for a listen.  To paraphrase John Soule, let us "go west" across the Bering Strait...

The album opens softly with "I Came Before the Water Pt I."  Gentle waves lapping at the shore greet your auditory sensors while vocals as delicate as a linen shawl float over the top...and the song seamlessly bleeds into "Too Many Years."  An intense piano introduces vocals elegant as  lilacs...gentle to the touch yet the scent completely fills the room.  The piano continues to waltz through the entire piece as strings come around the perimeter and draw everything together.  Top notes of Brian Eno's ambient best folded with the melancholy of Keane, aromatics of Doville Lee, and a hint of the darkness that envelopes Tuesday The Sky.  Yes, there is quite a bit happening in the prog garden at the moment...

My next selection from this "classic" buffet is the title cut "Lighthouse."  As tender as a mother's touch, the piano flows through the headphones guiding lyrics soft as a down filled pillow through your head.  I Am The Morning is a walk through the first snowfall on a hidden meadow; tranquility holding your hand and guiding your steps.  The images are Victorian and ornate while the music is simple and genteel.  This song is as unique as a piece of driftwood washed up on shore...admired for its beauty and appreciated for the treasure it is.

Liner Notes...I Am The Morning hails from St. Petersburgh, Russia and is Gleb Kolyadin on piano and keyboards and Marjana Semkina on vocals and backing vocals.  They do include many guests on the album; Mariusz Duda on vocals, Vlad Avy on guitars, Colin Edwin on bass, Andres Izmailov on harp, and Evan Carson on bodhran and percussion.  Playing drums is one Gavin Harrison...must be that Porcupine Tree and King Crimson aren't enough to keep him occupied.

I Am The Morning have five albums on their resume and number six due in October, complete with
Blu-Ray.  Factor in Gleb Kolyadin's recent solo release and this duo have been caretakers to quite the acreage in the prog garden.  Different musicians appear on each album, which is recorded in a different location based seemingly on its association with the theme or history of the album and its music.  I Am The Morning leaves nothing to chance or circumstance when putting an album together; everything--from cover art to mixing--is as meticulously attended to as anything Steely Dan ever did.             

Selection number three is "Chalk and Coal." This time Marjana's vocals pierce the headphones with some oomph; the darkness implied by the title hits the canvas like an impending storm...all the while building an intensity that breaks through without destroying the landscape.  The top notes are reminiscent of The Strawbs in a more macabre mood.

Learn more about I Am The Morning and purchase their music at IATM bandcamp.  For those so inclined, you will find links to soundcloud, iTunes, and KScope where you can also pre-order the new I Am The Morning album "Ocean Sounds."  Follow the band on Facebook IATM Facebook and Twitter @themorningband.

I chose the song "Matches" as your gateway to the beauty that is I Am The Morning.  The piano opening takes you to a quiet nightclub and the vocals float on top like cotton candy strands taking flight from a vendor's machine at the fair.  This piece, however, moves right into that "sweet spot" in your mind, allowing you to drift away like a message in a bottle...washing up on a desolate island and basking in the solitude...

                     

Once again fellow progheads a week has fallen off the calendar as easily as morning dew dripping from a rose petal.  I Am The Morning has broadened the perimeter of the prog garden and added a  stunning view.  The passion expressed in the music makes "Lighthouse" a must-have for those with a fondness for prog beauty.  The band walks the emotion laden section of the prog garden, a la Moody Blues.  Yet it is Marjana's voice that lures you deeper into the abyss...

The search for all things prog continues on, and bands like I Am The Morning make the journey so worthwhile.  With so many sub-genres under the prog umbrella, a find as refreshing and unique as I Am The Morning is always a pleasant discovery, and of course the search continues...until next time...   

Silas Neptune "The Scales of Tahuti"

Greetings once again fellow progheads and welcome back to The Closet Concert Arena!  So much activity in the prog garden; the heat has certainly inspired some amazing growth and expansion.  As the search for all things prog continues, so too does the flow of fresh new music.  This week the journey took me back and forth across the pond we call the Atlantic so as to enjoy the sounds of Silas Neptune.  In a world of constant noise and simulated chaos, it was quite the invigorating ride...

While Silas is from Somerset in the UK, his debut solo album "The Scales of Tahuti" was recorded in Colorado USA and released December 2017.  Silas has music in his veins; his father, Ed Wynne, is the founding member of Ozric Tentacles.  Let us see how far from the tree this apple fell...

The album opens with a gong, so I am already relaxed...and then carried across the threshold where consciousness meets a dreamlike state.  The song "Feathers of Ma'at" slowly and gently fills the headphones.  Silas Neptune traverses the prog garden in pursuit of Utopia; there are equal parts Ravi Shankar and Pink Floyd painting graffiti on the inner lining of my skull.  As the song progresses I am taken back to Yes and their "Close To The Edge" intro.  This truly is a mesmerizing piece...

The next sounds to fill my mind are "Become Everything."  Silas Neptune picks up the pace a bit here as he works those keyboards into a semi-frenzy.  There is a new age vibe running the entire piece as it somehow soothes while energizing.  For top notes think Robert Fripp doing his soundscapes thing with an electronic push...imagine Adrian Belew and Frank Zappa getting hold of the motherboard and tweaking the master tapes...

Liner Notes...In addition to producing a "solo" album, Silas Neptune plays keyboards in Ozric Tentacles, the band I mentioned earlier that his father started.  I say "solo" because this is almost an extension of Ozric Tentacles.  Performing on this album in addition to Silas are Ed Wynne, Brandi Wynne, Joie Hinton, Natan Mantismash, Roy Brosh, Balazs Szende, Dominic Gibbins, and Paul Hankin.  Natan doubles are art director; the album covert art is his design.  

The album is a concept of sorts as Silas takes the listener deep into the unknown, much like Hal led Dr. Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey.  This time, however, man controls machine as Silas and the rest of the band journey across a mental landscape as imaginative as it is stellar and robust.  The canvas comes alive with colors that explode as if Peter Maxx designed an eternally melting kaleidoscope.  Learn more about Silas Neptune and purchase his music at SilasNeptunebandcamp 

and Silas Neptune soundcloud.  You can travel along at Facebook and Twitter @SilasNeptune .  For the proghead that needs to delve deeper there is ozrics where this and other side projects of Ozric Tentacles are highlighted.

For the icing that runs down the sides of this celestial cake I chose "Gateway to Dreamtime."  The percussion on this cut is a bit more pronounced, but once again "mystical" keyboard work headlines the encounter.  Silas Neptune seems focused on bringing an alternate universe to the listener...a previously unknown reality--and it is a wonder to the subconscious.  Life in the star gazing lane never seemed so wondrous...

To illustrate the beauty that is "The Scales of Tahuti" I chose "Aqualight."  This piece moves through the headphones like summer melt-off flowing down a cliff...the warm inner peace is all you notice.  Once again keyboards--the lifeblood of the entire album-- are showcased like a musical delicatessen; so may variations on a theme.  Just remember why you came and let the soundscapes carry you away...

                      

Well fellow progheads, another week is in the rear view mirror.  This week was a stroll down a different path in the prog garden.  Silas Neptune commands acreage that I have explored from the periphery and indulged in with various artists whilst viewing through a different lens.  Silas pushes the boundaries of the prog garden as he expands on ideas and concepts brought forth by others...I sense aromatics of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, and Zawinul with and without Weather Report.  But there is so much more here as well; the influences run the width and breadth of the entire prog garden.

I hope you enjoyed this leg of the journey.  The search for all things prog takes many twists, turns, and seldom-traveled roads, all for the sake of finding that next shining star.  So of course The Closet Concert Arena will travel on...until next time...

Seconds Before Landing "Trio Volume 1"

The door to The Closet Concert Arena is always open to the prog faithful, so come on in fellow progheads!  While the summer heat continues its stranglehold on the thermometer, the search for all things prog continues its quest to bring you the best new, lesser known, and flying low under the radar bands the prog garden has to offer.  An absolute pleasure to visit with old friends--especially when they bring new music to the Concert Closet. This week the search for all things prog stays stateside for a visit with Seconds Before Landing, a band that is as intense as it is creative.  SBL released their fourth album/first EP "Trio Volume 1" July 27th and I am more than happy to review.

I have been a fan of Seconds Before Landing since my first encounter with their music back in 2016.  In an era when many bands and artists tend to follow a safe path, SBL founder John Crispino consistently blazes his own trail, pushing the envelope to create music that can be dark, haunting, and thought provoking.  John claims to be a pretty upbeat guy, just a witness to the world around him.  To the headphones we go...

The opening tune is called "192" and to call it powerful is an understatement.  Janusz Korczak ran an orphanage in Poland when the Holocaust happened; this song honors one man's bravery in the face of evil.  The entire piece is shrouded in a darkness that is almost tangible--you can feel it permeate the headphones as it wraps around your mind, penetrating your auditory sensors and grabbing your conscience. The aromatics remind me of Pink Floyd in their "Atom Heart Mother" or "Ummagumma" period; occupying a not very crowded section of the prog garden.  Seconds Before Landing strikes a nerve with wrenching lyrics:

"It wasn't that long ago
Back in '42
Just me and the children
We numbered 192"

 "...one day, they came to take them                 
 They gave permission that I could stay
 I didn't want to see them go alone                   
 So we all just marched away..."
                 
 "...They'll be coming soon so we must prepare
 Get on the train and take this ride                 
 Remember what I told you show your pride   
 Once inside let's sing this song
 I promise children it won't take long"

The brush strokes on canvas these words evoke are dripping with emotion you won't find spinning the radio dial...the dark background has  splatters of bright red and subtle streaks of blue...because hope always accompanies strength...

Next up is "Maybe I'm a Weirdo."  In typical SBL style, the opening is a gateway down an  absolutely unknown rabbit hole that I can't wait to fall into.  The darkness almost illuminates; there is a madman in the room but you can't tell which facade he hides behind.  John is extremely adept at identifying with that which makes us uncomfortable...are these the ramblings of a depressed every man or are we peering through the cracks of a psychotic mind?  The vocals have a Frank Zappa feel as you sit through an autobiographical run down of why this person takes up occupancy in all of us.

Liner Notes...started in Pittsburgh PA back in 2010, Seconds Before Landing is the creation of John Crispino.  John has had several prog and rock  giants on his albums, including Trey Gunn, John Palumbo, and Tim Bogert.  The core of SBL includes John on drums, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, vocals, and special effects.  Joining John is Steve Schuffert, Eric Maldonado, and Rick Witkowski on guitars, J.D. Garrison and Guy Bar Tor on bass, Jamie Peck on piano, and Vanessa Campagna on backing vocals.

Seconds Before Landing may produce their final product along the dark outer edges of the prog garden, but they travel every square inch of earth within its confines putting ideas and thoughts together to do so.  John views the absurdity, cruelty, and irony of life through a different lens and uses those awakened  emotions to breathe life into his work...

Learn more about Seconds Before Landing at SBL and SBL Bandcamp.  Here you will find the entire catalog along with links to the band's Facebook and Twitter as well as SBL Radio, an outlet John uses to share his world with you.

The final cut is called "You Won't Deny Me" and this one drips with foreboding and anger reminiscent of "I Don't Like Mondays" by the Boomtown Rats.  The song grabs your attention immediately; tension so thick nerve endings are exposed.  Seconds Before Landing crawls inside the macabre mind of a school shooter as he walks you through his day right up to that final, fatal moment.  Guitars scream with anguish while a haunting vocal similar to Gregorian Rock pierces the veil around your soul.



I chose "192" for your peek behind the curtain.  This is as much to honor Janusz Korczak as it is to paint a vivid picture of the inner workings of Seconds Before Landing.  John found a crack in the time/space continuum, crawled inside, and watched the projection machine rattle off so many of mankind's shortcomings.  His ability to channel that, using darkness to awaken an inner morality inside the listener, is stunning.  Dim the lights and hold on...

                       

So fellow progheads I hope you enjoyed your time this week.  Seconds Before Landing lives everywhere in the prog garden, shining a light into the abyss we humans prefer to avoid.  It is rare to find someone who can take tragedy, sadness and evil and turn it inside out the way John Crispino does--and he does it quite elegantly.  Progressive rock can be the beautification of a world drenched in flaws and shortcomings, and that makes the journey all the more relevant and worthwhile.

Now as I am so fond of saying, the search for all things prog continues...until next time...

Majestic

As always, it is a pleasure to have you back fellow progheads!  If this is your first foray into The Closet Concert Arena I hope you enjoy the view, the sound, and keep coming back for more!  This week the search for all things prog continues the mission of bringing the lesser known, toiling away, extremely talented yet for the most part unknown prog bands to the forefront.  To scratch that itch, I took the Concert Closet to Minnesota for some deep listening with Majestic.

Referring to themselves as a progressive rock recording project, Majestic tills acreage in the symphonic section of the prog garden.  Falling into the "been around awhile and still flying low under the radar" category, Majestic released their first album "Arrival" in 2009 and followed that up with seven more releases through 2015 (eight if you count "Epsilon" I and II separately).  A respectable resume, so let us find out  what lurks beneath the surface waiting to burst through the rich prog soil...

In keeping with tradition I will start the buffet with "Arrival;"  gotta stick to the timeline!  A truly beautiful piece...the opening takes me immediately to the dawning of a new day--and few things match the splendor of the sun rising on a new beginning; a fresh opportunity.  The guitars are soft as melting chocolate as the entire production is swallowed up in a 1960's dreamscape.  Vocals pierce the shell that encompasses the music; Majestic has just crossed into the terrestrial symphonic section of the prog garden.  Top notes of early Pink Floyd echo through the headphones and aromatics of Genesis in their "Foxtrot" days carry through the air.  Majestic fills the room with a physical presence as the canvas is exploding with color...yes, we have arrived...

Moving down the buffet line, I stop at what appears to be a healthy portion of "Clover Suite."  More vintage 2009, more prog that wraps around you like your favorite blanket on the beach while enjoying a bonfire at night.  The vocals leap through the headphones, bellow down your auditory canals, and pump their way through your entire being.  A splendid slice of symphonic majesty...there is an ornateness reminiscent of Trans Siberian Orchestra careening around in my head, but make no mistake--Majestic is a band true to themselves.

Liner Notes...Majestic was born in the winter wonderland known as Minneapolis, MN.  The band is  Jeff Hamel on keyboards, guitar, and vocals.  Jeff is joined in a regular, member-of-the-band kinda way (for the most part) by Jessica Rasche on vocals.  But don't let that lull you into a false sense of inaccuracy...Jeff is also joined by several talent-laden musicians on each of his album releases.  A "family reunion" of all the musicians Jeff has recorded Majestic albums with would run this blog too long at around eighteen.  I don't want to disrespect anyone by listing some and omitting others...so suffice to say it is an impressive list...

Going back to the buffet I laser up "Star Bound" from the 2010 release "Ataraxia."  This album was dipped in cool jazz fusion and encased in an atmospheric prog outer shell.  Top notes of Steely Dan and Camel fill your auditory sensors immediately.  Jessica's vocals are smooth like a water slide, taking you right into the middle of the pool.  There is a blues vibe coursing through the tune giving it an alter ego of sorts...the clean crisp lines of a Maserati with scratches in the paint...

There is much to learn, listen to, and appreciate about Majestic and you can do that at the website Majesticsongs...you can even check the impressive alumni Jeff calls guest musicians in the gallery...
The entire Majestic catalog is available at Majesticsong Bandcamp and
Majesticsongs cdbaby.  Of course there is also Facebook and Twitter,
Majesticsongs FB and @majesticsongs, for those so inclined to follow along and dig a bit deeper.

For your listening pleasure I chose a song from the 2012 album "V.O.Z." called "Crossing Meridian."  This album takes yet another tangent road--Majestic has mastered the art of starting from scratch with each album.  Not necessarily a dark colored canvas, but there is a metal-tinged hardness that builds as the song progresses.  Jeff uses every acre the prog garden has to offer in creating a sound as distinct as it is remarkable.  Let the drums carry you while the guitars and vocals lead you through a labyrinth of sights and sounds...

                    

Majestic is another in a long line of prog bands that have been working the garden for a long time and managed to stay out of the limelight.  Jeff Hamel's ability to find the right artists for each collaboration--a la Steely Dan--has created a collection of music that spans the prog garden.  Prog artists tend to wear multiple hats; musician, producer, sound engineer, promoter...you get my point.  Jeff has toiled behind and in front of the curtain putting together a sound that really needs to be heard to be appreciated.   Majestic has a flavor for every craving...

So now the search for all things prog trudges on--in a most excited and eager way.  A journey that for me has been  nothing short of extraordinary.  The prog garden is a fertile hot bed of  vast and varied sights and sounds and The Closet Concert Arena is only too happy to offer you my loyal followers a front row seat.  The journey continues...until next time...