My first forage into the 2019 prog garden is also the first garden entry for Kaleidoreal. "A Life Wasted" was released last summer and since that feels like forever ago, let's head straight to the CD player and put on those headphones...
The album begins and ends with the title cut..."A Life Wasted Part 1" being the opening act. The song morphs and reinvents itself several times as sound alternately explodes and melts into itself...and the butterfly emerges from the cocoon. Intermittently hard hitting and then riding the gentle inner edge of the prog garden, this song runs down that proverbial dark alley and dares you to keep up.
Liner Notes...Kaleidoreal calls Sweden home and is the brainchild of Lars Granat who plays guitar, bass, keyboards, and lays down the vocal tracks. Joining Lars on this debut album is Rikard Rynoson on vocals and Sebastian Johammer on drums. Bjorn Headlam and Jonatan Bengtsson provided additional keyboards and David Kallberg added percussion and nose flute...I did say eclectic, didn't I?
This "rock project" is a relative newcomer to the prog garden and I anticipate more music emanating from their section of the prog garden in the future. Kaleidoreal makes a good case in defense against those who lament the lack of good new prog bands; you know who I mean...people who believe nothing worth listening to was recorded when the decade known as the seventies came to an abrupt close. Yet Kaleidoreal--and they are not alone--prove naysayers wrong at every juncture. If you listen with your ears first and allow the sound to enter your heart, mind, and soul, you will understand what I am trying to convey...
One more slice from this incredible release, "I Was Dust." This cut opens a bit edgier than previous, allowing the guitar to expand the boundaries just a bit. Venturing into the alternative section of the prog garden, there are top notes of Dreadnaught floating through the headphones as everything comes crashing at you like schrapnel in a hurricane. Kaleidoreal hits the canvas with a multitude of colors on each cut of this album. Ranging from bright hues to somber greys, the band has embarked on a journey across the prog garden that will enlighten and expand your listening. One more reason the killjoys stuck in the 70's are missing out...Learn more about Kaleidoreal and make this one of your first purchases of 2019 at bandcamp. You can also learn more about the band at facebook and Twitter @kaleidoreal. Visit Sweden without the hassle of long airport lines and having your luggage rummaged through by customs...
I chose the cut below for several reasons; it is a genuine peek-behind-the-curtain on a band I expect to hear much more from, so much of who they are emanates from this one cut, the mood swings and climate changes are extreme and incredible, and I want you to run out and buy this...
So my friends and fellow progheads, I hope our first foray into the 2019 prog garden was worthy of the journey. Kaleidoreal is but a small slice of what I anticipate being one helluva prog buffet this year. There is so much taking root under the current cover of snow just waiting to burst forth. One reason I chose to open the season here in Sweden is the complexity of Kaleidoreal's sound blending beautifully with the simplicity of the music...it wraps itself around you and doesn't want to let go. So just appreciate the gesture and tumble into the center of a long comfortable descent into utopia...
The search for all things prog moves on, and the Concert Closet is doing everything possible to bring the best undsicovered and under-the-radar prog music your way. Kaleidoreal is the torch bearer for 2019, and the trail blazes on...until next time...
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