Underground Railroad

The Origin Of Consciousness

Patience is a virtue, and all those who have waited five long years for the sequel to Through And Through, the intriguing debut of Texan Proggers The Underground Railroad, can now reap the rewards with this superior follow-up.

Again ploughing a somewhat unique furrow through strange territories hinted at (but left largely unexplored) by elements of Genesis, Gentle Giant, Echolyn and many a Canterbury band, this disc contains 7 slices of unsettling but absorbing, and ultimately fulfilling progressive music. With a strong flavour of fusion, particularly in the searing fretwork of Bill Pohl, and grounded by the impressive and virtuosic keyboard style of Kurt Rongey, and topped off with compelling vocals – with especially strong harmony work – Origins surpasses the debut by some margin.

This is not immediately accessible, hook-filled music, indeed you may not like it at first, but these mature, muscular compositions have a way of working their way under your skin, and are likely to become firm favourites given time and concentration. With angular riffing, and slippery time-signatures cradling lyrics which are abstruse and steeped in philosophical musings, this often dark opus supplies food for thought in abundance.

Not a disc where individual tracks stand out, each composition contains twists and turns and there is a unifying mood which runs throughout the album, making the whole album a gripping listen.

If I had experienced this CD earlier, it would have been in my “best of year” choices and I can give it no less a score than 8.5, for its depth, maturity, edginess and its willingness to explore slightly uncomfortable areas, both sonically and lyrically, referencing the 70’s Classic Prog sound whilst pushing ahead in a thoroughly modern style, to unchartered waters. Be warned, though, this is no easy listen, no snappy tunes or catchy choruses here, but neither is it unapproachable, dissonant or especially avant-garde (though there are a few slight nods in this direction).

Check out the sound samples on their site and if intrigued, I urge you to give this one a try.

Tracklist: Julian Ur (7:45), Julian I (2:38), Love Is A Vagabond King (10:43), Halo (8:21),The Canal At Sunset (4:18), Metaphor (2:57), Creeper [The Doorman pt 2] (13:30), Julian II (9:00)

Ungarn

Gulasjens hjemland har virkelig mye bra musikk å vise til. HVORFRA? Viser at det i tillegg er rimelig mye prog og progrelatert som har sin opprinnelse i Ungarn.  After Crying, Solaris og Age Of Nemesis er for eksempel obligatoriske band i enhver progsamling som har noe bredde.

Ungarns flagg er en horisontal trikolor med fargene rødt, hvitt og grønt.

Den horisontale trikoloren ble introdusert før og under revolusjonen i 1848 som symbol på et fritt Ungarn. I tillegg til fargenes tradisjonelle betydning, symboliserer rødt styrke, hvitt står for trofasthet, og grønt symboliserer håpet.

Under Stalin-tiden (1948-1956) hadde flagget et våpenskjold med en rød stjerne i midten. Dette ble klippet ut under revolusjonen i 1956, og dermed er en trikolor med et hull i midten blitt et symbol på oppstanden

Republikken Ungarn (ungarsk Magyar Köztársaság) er en republikk i Sentral-Europa. Det er et sletteland omgitt av en halvsirkel av Karpatene. Grenselandene er Østerrike, Slovakia, Ukraina, Romania, Kroatia, Serbia og Slovenia.

På 800-tallet innvandret madjarske stammer vestover fra det nåværende Russland. Noen av disse slo seg ned mellom Donau og Tisza. Stammene ble forent i ett rike av Stefan I år 1001. Rikets storhetstid var på 1300- og 1400-tallet, og mange tyskere slo seg også ned her. På 1500-tallet ble størstedelen av Ungarn etter slaget ved Mohács okkupert av det ottomanske rike. Samtidig arvet huset Habsburg den ungarske kongekronen, og Ungarn kom derfor i personalunion med Østerrike. På 1600-tallet ble tyrkerne drevet tilbake og landet gjenerobret. I 1867 ble fellesskapet mellom keiserriket Østerrike og kongedømmet Ungarn formalisert, og det såkalte keiserlige og kongelige monarkiet, eller dobbeltmonarkiet Østerrike-Ungarn, oppsto. Drapet på den østerriksk-ungarske tronfølgeren Franz Ferdinand i Sarajevo i 1914 førte til utbruddet av første verdenskrig, som landet tapte, noe som førte til at det gikk i oppløsning, og Ungarn ble adskilt fra Østerrike. Etter krigen forsøkte kommunisten Béla Kun å gripe makten, men ble styrtet av motrevolusjonære styrker ledet av Miklós Horthy med hjelp fra rumenske antikommunister. Ungarns parlament proklamerte landet som monarki, men den eksilerte ungarske kongen (og østerrikske keiseren) fikk aldri tilbake tronen, tross flere forsøk, da seierherrene fra første verdenskrig la sterkt press på Ungarn for å forhindre det. Isteden ble Horthy utnevnt til riksforstander på ubestemt tid. Ungarn mistet to tredjedeler av sitt territorium etter første verdenskrig; noe som fremdeles preger landets politiske liv. Nasjonalistiske krefter krever de tapte territoriene tilbake.

Landet deltok i annen verdenskrig på tysk side, og ble etter krigen okkupert av Sovjetunionen, som innsatte et Moskva-vennlig regime som styrte landet diktatorisk frem til Sovjetunionens sammenbrudd i 1989. Et opprør som brøt ut i 1956 ble slått brutalt ned av sovjetiske tropper.

"Ugly cover"

Det er ikke alt som trykkes på et cover som er like kunstnerisk og flotte som mye på COVER ART er. Vi har tenkt å se på det som på godt norsk kan kalles "ugly cover", og det må sies at det er store mengder smakløse og stygge cover å boltre seg i. Enkelte er faktisk så patetiske eller latterlige at våre lattermuskler får en hard økt. Se bare selv:

Vi oppfordrer de som måtte komme over slike heslige cover om å sende oss noen ord, slik at vi alle kan holde oss oppdatert om verdens mer mislykkede "kunstnere". Slikt er jo viktig for å understreke kontrastene også på dette området, og gjør sitt til at en virkelig setter ekstra pris på flotte cover.

Urban Spacemen

Plainsongs

Urban Spacemen played their first gig together almost exactly two years ago but their flight path extends back to the early 1980s. The story really starts in 1984 when drummer Ron Bennett joined up with guitarist / vocalist David Weston in the ninth line-up of Chemical Alice, the progressive band mostly remembered for featuring a very young Mark Kelly of Marillion fame. After Alice split in 1985, Weston and Bennett formed the slightly jazzier Slartibartfast whose line-up included keyboardist Andy House. This latest musical venture only lasted a couple of years before the musicians went their separate ways, although in late 1987 the trio did play a gig with various members of Osiris, another local band, under the name Urban Spacemen. A collection of bands came and went during the nineties, playing everything from soul and blues to jazz-rock to Grateful Dead covers and introduced Weston to fellow guitarist Mick Overy. A reunited Chemical Alice, featuring Weston, Bennett, House and the soon to emigrate bass player Jack Grigor, played a one-off gig in January 2002 which was so well received that the musicians were asked to perform again a few months later. As Grigor would be an ex-pat by this time, Terry Willson was enlisted to hold down the bottom end, Mick Overy was asked if he wanted to join in the fun and lo, the Urban Spaceman launched themselves on an unsuspecting universe.

With less than a dozen live performances under their belt, the Spacemen have released their debut album, Plainsongs, which features the bulk of their original compositions to date. The results hark back to some of the classic seventies rock acts that were prevalent on the festival scene, fusing jams, improvisation and more conventional progressive rock. There are similarities between modern American so-called 'jam bands' such as Phish and Widespread Panic mixed with influences from British stalwarts like Man and even Hawkwind. The duel lead guitars of Weston and Overy are also reminiscent of the classic Wishbone Ash sound, particularly on the opening Rising Light which almost effortlessly invokes the mood and feel of benchmark albums such as Argus. Both guitarists are prominent throughout the album with the structure of each song allowing plenty of space for solos. Credit must be given to the band for restraining themselves and not overindulging in the soloing. One gets the feeling that tracks such as Taking Control and City Song could easily have been extended with the guitarists happily taking the songs into new directions with the rest of the band eagerly following.

The album isn't totally dominated by guitars as keyboardist House is eager to join in the fun. His role encompasses providing spacey Tim Blake-ish effects (as on Plainsong), laying down the musical platform over which the guitarists can bend their six strings and even providing a few solos! There is some lovely organ work that brings to mind Dave Sinclair at his best with Caravan. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with the vocals, it would be fair to say that none of the three vocalists in the group (Overy, Weston and Willson) have the strongest of voices. This is not really an issue as the prime focus of the band is the instrumentation. They do harmonise together reasonably well, particularly on Brand New Day, which is probably the closest the band gets to creating a track that could be used as a single, not that one could ever imagine they would ever contemplate such a thing! My main criticism of the album is the cymbal sound. I find it quite 'tinny' and intrusive, but that is probably just personal preference.

Saving the best for the close, The Little Peace At The End, which runs neatly into the album closer In The Garden, provides the highlight of the album for me, from the keyboard introduction (with Mellotron-like choirs upping the prog rating) to the funky and insistent bass riff, these pieces admirably capture everything that the Spacemen are about and what they aim for. The quarter of an hour of music flies past with never a dull moment. Each of the musicians excels on this excellent pair of compositions that must be the highlight of any live set. With The Little Peace At The End, The Urban Spacemen have found their own little Dark Star around which to orbit.

There is enough on this album to keep fans of any of the bands mentioned in this review happy. The maturity of the musicians, the confidence in their abilities and the lack of pressure to make it big, has given the Spacemen the freedom to simply record an album of the music they like. And unlike the urban spaceman sung about by Neil Innes, these astronauts actually do exist!

Tracklist: Rising Light (7.57), Cosmic Blues (7.39), City Song (5.11), Taking Control (5.15), Plainsong (13.46), Brand New Day (6.07), The Little Peace at the End (12.03), In The Garden (2.55)

Utopia

Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (1974)

 

The year was 1974, and former Nazz member Todd Rundgren, who already had a few successful solo albums under his belt, put together a full-blown progressive rock ensemble named Utopia, and set forth to compete with bands such as Yes, ELP, and Genesis. While Rundgren had flirted a bit with the prog genre on a few songs from Runt, Something, Anything, Todd, and A Wizard, a True Star, it was here with Utopia that the singer/guitarist let his songwriting take him to worlds he had yet to fully explore. Joining Todd were three keyboard players, Moogy Klingman, M. Frog Labat, and Ralph Schuckett, bassist John Siegler, and drummer Kevin Ellman, forming a formidable array of talent that helped showcase the guitarist’s new, extended songs. There’s no short pop ditty’s on Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, instead, the album is filled with long form jaunts of space age prog-rock, littered with extended guitar and synthesizer explorations that surely fit well alongside albums like Relayer from Yes, or ELP’s Tarkus.

The opening track, which was actually recorded live at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, is a blistering piece of hard driving, complex rock music, with more than a hint of fusion interplay and prog atmosphere. Rundgren’s guitar work is raw and powerful, and paired with the huge wall of keyboards and the muscular drum work of Ellman, provides for perhaps one of the musician’s classic moments. Here, searing guitar solos mesh with intricate and multi-layered synth passages, bringing to mind Return to Forever as much as it does Yes. Mostly instrumental, the one brief vocal interlude brings up these ominous words:

City in my head
Utopia
Heaven in my body
Utopia
It’s Time for me
Time for me to go

Shaped around these lines from Rundgren however is some fierce and powerful progressive rock firepower, and sure to please any fan of the genre. If you are expecting “Hello It’s Me”, you will be in for a big surprise.

Skipping ahead to song number two, we have the varied sounds of “Freak Parade”, a quirky and mysterious number that is entirely different from the preceding track. Kicking off with a bouncy keyboard medley filled with counterpoint ala Gentle Giant, Rundgren then enters the fray with some weepy slide guitar accompanied by funky Fender Rhodes electric piano, which segues the piece into a complex medieval sounding jaunt that could have easily come from Three Friends or Octopus. Before you know it, the band changes gears and blasts into a funky groove that will remind you of Frank Zappa’s late 70’s output, led by Todd’s New York style vocal rants and layers of electric piano. The tune has is all, rock, prog, jazz, funk, and even some avant-garde fusion. Think Herbie Hancock meets Frank Zappa meets Gentle Giant and you have an idea what to expect on this one.

The albums lone short cut is “Freedom Fighters”, a hard rocking yet spacey piece that contains the trademark Rundgren melodies and vocal harmonies, especially on the chorus, as well as symphonic synthesizers and chunky guitar riffs. Todd’s guitar solo reaches for the stars on this one, and his rhythm playing is as raw as the early work of the Who’s Pete Townshend. At just over four-minutes, it’s long by 1974’s standards, but for this album it’s a mere speck compared to what was to come on the next and final track.

At just over 30-minutes in length, “The Ikon” is art rock at its finest, bringing to the table the fusion muscle of bands such as the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Return to Forever, as well as prog legends such as Yes, ELP, Camel, and Focus. Here, the three keyboard format works to its fullest, as Klingman, Labat, and Schuckett add in layer after layer of varied keyboard sounds using Moog, Fender Rhodes, and organ, creating a huge wall of sound over which Rundgren’s vocals can soar. The song takes many paths, changing tempos and moods often, at times broken up by a searing, effects laden guitar solo from Rundgren, a wild Moog passage from Labat, intricate rhythms from Siegler and Ellfman, or an atmospheric section made tranquil by multiple keyboard sounds. Again I am going to reference Relayer by Yes, and there is a reason why. Many of the passages on this song have that frantic, progressive fusion vibe that Yes really hit home with on that album, and the interplay between the keys and guitar is quite similar in both instances. During the vocal sections, Rundgren’s singing takes on a space age tone (no doubt Trevor Horn was greatly influenced by him on future releases from The Buggles as well as the lone Yes album he appeared on, Drama), complemented nicely by swirling organ and electric piano. However, it’s his guitar playing that once again stands out, as during his first extended solo he starts off with melodic and chorus laden legato lines before ending with some fast picking triplets dripping with funk passion. There’s also a furious Moog workout from Labat about mid-way through the piece, which then eventually leads to a wild battle between Rundgren’s guitar, Siegler’s bass, Ellman’s drums, Klingman’s Fender Rhodes, and Schuckett’s synth, done in a style that Chick Corea would later make famous with The Elektric Band, and Rundgren would also reprise on the Utopia album Ra. While this extended piece is perhaps best appreciated with headphones, where you can really digest all the varied sound that are assaulting your senses, it’s also a piece that sounds great cranked up to 11 on your stereo (oops, sorry for the Spinal Tap reference folks!) for a huge wall of sound. The Ikon is one of prog’s best epics, and sadly does not often get mentioned alongside other long form prog rock songs like “Supper’s Ready”, “Thick as a Brick”, and “Close to the Edge”. Rundgren would return briefly to the long-form opus format on his 1975 solo album Initiation with the 36-minute instrumental "A Treatise On Cosmic Fire", as well as the epic “Singring and the Glass Guitar” from 1977’s Ra, but neither came close to the majesty of The Ikon.

This was the first and last Utopia album to contain this exact line-up, and although the band would go on to record many more albums with the popular configuration of Rundgren, Roger Powell, Kasim Sultan, and Willie Wilcox, only the follow-up Another Live, 1977's Ra, and parts of Oops! Wrong Planet and Adventures in Utopia had progressive rock elements. None of these though came close to the wonderful sounds of Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, which to this day remains a classic, if not an underappreciated gem of the genre.

Track Listing
1) Utopia Theme (14:18)
2) Freak Parade (10:14)
3) Freedom Fighters (4:01)
4) The Ikon (30:22)

Unicorn Records

 Two new bands have signed with:  http://www.unicornrecords.com/ and will each have an album released this September.

Israeli band Sympozion has sign a deal with Unicorn Digital to re-release their first CD "Kundabuffer" (originally released independently in 2004).The CD will be released on 15th September 2006 and has been produced, recorded and mixed by Udi Koorman. Sympozion CD "Kundabuffer" combines fusion, Canterbury and Symphonic Rock.

Polish prog band T.A.O. has also signed to Unicorn Digital with their first album "The Abnormal Observations" to be released on the 1st September 2006. Unicorn Digital say that T.A.O. is a blend of many influences and their modern Prog will please those seeking for some intricate arrangements and writing.

Sound samples for both albums can be heard : http://www.unicornrecords.com/mp3.html

U TOTEM

U Totem is the combination of the 5UU's and the Motor Totemists Guild. They are very good. Their style reminds me of Messaien or Lutoslawski. The best description I can offer is they are what Henry Cow wanted to be. The levels of control in this band is astonishing. The compositions are chordally dense and can, at times, be as dark as Univers Zero! There are 5 people in U Totem. They play keyboards, percussion, flute, bassoon, bass, male and female vocals (the female singer is IMHO *better* than Annie Halsam from Renaissance - I compare them because they sound similar). I only have their self titled CD but there are several earlier things avaliable (from Wayside) from when they were 5UU/MTG. They are avant but not obnoxiously so, the music makes sense (to me). VERY PROG. To hear a band this adventurous producing work in the 90's is reassuring.

Strange Attractors disappointed me. Maybe because their self-titled is one of my favourite albums, and a real eye-opener as far as getting into RIO music goes. This is as complex, if not more so, but it relies more on cheesy synth-sounds, and that's the biggest gripe I have with it, especially since what I loved about their first one was the classical orchestration, which is less present here, and unsuccessfully mixed with that darned synthesizer. Seems James Grigsby concentrated fully on the story (intricate but uninteresting) and forgot about the songwriting (leaving David Kerman completely without writing-credits). A lot of magical moments though, but if you're getting only one of U Totem's albums, you should definitely go for the first one. Emily Hay delivers as usual. And you already know about 5uu's and Thinking Plague, right?

U Totem (91)
Strange Attractors (94)

UK

A supergroup that is truly deserving of the title. Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford are their usual, more-than-competent selves, John Wetton's performance is thankfully much closer to his work with King Crimson than Uriah Heep. But it's Eddie Jobson, fresh from working with Roxy Music, who's the star of the show. On the fabulous first album, his electric violin playing and use of the polyphonic CS80 synthesizer steals the show. But not only is the playing good, the songs are well written, too. "Thirty Years" is an eye-popping exercise in dynamics, with a lovely intro with liquid synthesizers which leads into the heavy main section with powerass/guitar riffing an a hot violin solo. The 13-minute, three-part "In The Dead Of Night" is the kind of musical intricacy prog fans live for, especially the fast ending section. And "Nevermore" is a luscious jazzy piece with wondrous guitar interludes by Holdsworth. One of the best albums from the progressive dark ages. Danger Money features an altered lineup (Holdsworth and Bruford out, Terry Bozzio in), but no significant change in sound, save the lack of guitar. This album likewise has much to recommend it. Though the writing overall isn't quite as good, the playing is just as hot as ever. Best track: "Carrying No Cross," with some of Jobson's best keyboard work since Curved Air's "Metamorphosis." I have the self-titled UK album which features Bill Bruford on drums, John Wetton on bass and vocals, Allan Holdsworth on guitars and Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin. Each of these guys are noted musicians, as you probably know. Despite the talent involved, the music is merely average (what is it about these supergroups, anyway?) and not very exciting. Bruford turns in his usual excellent performance and Holdsworth's solos are up to the standards set on his solo albums. Jobson and Wetton are also up to snuff performance-wise though Wetton's voice isn't as good as his singing on the King Crimson albums. There just doesn't seem to be much synergism among the players and that keeps the music from really gelling. Certainly, there are much worse albums out there and this album does have several delightful moments but it just seems this could be so much better. The eight songs range from three to eight minutes in length, averaging about five minutes. Overall, not bad and I'm sure many of you would go a bundle on this. I pull it out for a listen now and again but just can't help feeling it could have been so much better ...

Unlike most UK fans, I prefer their second release Danger Money to their first, self-titled album. The song "Carrying No Cross" is a favorite of mine. John Wetton (of King Crimson, Asia) on bass and vocals and Eddie Jobson on keys (and violin) were on both studio albums. Bill Bruford, Terry Bozzio, and Allan Holdsworth were also in this band.

Danger Money is much better than the first one. It will appeal to ELP fans with Jobson's incredible keyboards.

I didn't hear anything from their first album, with Allan Holdsworth and Bill Bruford, but Danger Money, with John Wetton, Eddie Jobson, and Terry Bozzio, is pretty good. A bit on the depressing side though, but not really in a beautiful way, like Marillion.

Bill Bruford, John Wetton, Alan Holdsworth, Eddie Jobson. How could it go wrong. The first album was great. After that Bruford and Holdsworth left, and they got Terry Bozzio of Zappa fame to sit in. I hear that this album was more commercial, but I've never heard it.

U.K. (78), Danger Money (79), Night After Night (79)

UNDER SKJØRTET

Kopimaskiner i Storbritannia møter bokstavelig talt enden før jul. Våre venner på den andre siden av Nordsjøen har for vane å ta julebordet på kontoret, med alt hva det medfører av skader på bedriftens materiell.

Et vanlig stunt er å sette seg på kopimaskinen, skanne inn de edlere(?) delene og forevige resultatet på papir til festdeltakernes forlystelse.

Den britiske avdelingen til kopimaskinleverandøren Canon rapporterer nå om 25 prosents økning av reparasjonene i julebordsesongen. De fleste av skadene henger sammen med det britene kaller «the classic backside copying prank» (det klassiske bakdelskopieringstrikset).

Trykk på knappen, og...

Reparatøren Geoff Bush fra Nord-England kan fortelle den ”sjokkerende” historien om en kopimaskin som etter reparasjonen begynte å spytte ut en haug med kopier av en ung dames edlere deler, midt blant de bakfulle kollegene dagen derpå.

Stuntet er ofte inspirert av boka og filmen Forfengelighetens fyrverkeri, der den kvinnelige hovedpersonen løfter på skjørtet, kopierer det som er under og sender kopien til sin elsker på faks.