TIM BOWNESS: Lost in the Ghost Light (2017)

It is possible that some of you are not familiar with the name Tim Bowness, so maybe it is better to begin by saying a few things about him. 

  Tim Bowness is an English songwriter, singer, keyboard player and producer, who worked with many famous musicians during his career. He is mostly known as the vocalist and co-writer of Steven Wilson’s project No-Man. But further than that, he worked with Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine) and Judy Dyble (Fairport Convention), among others.

  Lost in a Ghost Light is his brand new album, in which 13 musicians are participating. So, further than Tim, there are 12 more musicians, including some famous names, such as Ian Anderson on flute, Colin Edwin (ex-Porcupine Tree) on bass, Bruce Soord (The Pineapple Thief) on guitars, and Kit Watkins (Camel) on flute and Waterphone (!).

Let’s take a closer look to the album now.

  It includes 8 tracks, and has a total running time of almost 45 minutes. Judging from the album’s running time, I assume that it must also be available in Vinyl, further than the CD and Digital edition.  

  Lost in a Ghost Light is a concept album, with the main story being about a Rock musician who is aging, and tries to share with us his fears about the future. You will not find any tales of alien invasions or the fall of humanity here, but rather the simplicity of a story about the life of a musician, that turns the album into a beautiful trip.

  The music is influenced by the sound of some legendary bands of the 70’s mostly, such as Pink Floyd and Camel for example. It is a rather melodic and melancholic album, with very few exceptions, like ‘’Kill the Pain that’s Killing You’ for example.

  Based upon the 3-4 listening I’ve done so far, the songs I like the most are: ‘Words of Yesterday’ ‘Nowhere good to Go’ ‘You’ll be the Silence’  and ‘Distant Summers’, including Ian Anderson on flute and Steve Bingham on violin. (Maybe the album’s best moment).

           My rating would be 3.5 out of 5.0 stars

 

PROG & ROLL Radio Show, including the 'Song of the Month' contest. (26/2/2017). A small "review" & the complete playlist.

Hello everybody! 
  Last night one more Prog & Roll radio show was online as usual. Because it was the last show of the month, it was also including the final stage of the 'Song of the Month' contest, where our listeners are choosing which song will be announced as the Song of the month and will occupy a spot in Prog & Roll's annual Top-10 songlist.
  We divided last night's show into 4 parts once more, and on each part, we played songs from different music styles. So, on the first half-hour we chose to play some classic Hard and Heavy Metal songs, followed by the second part, during which the contest took place. Right after that, during the third part, we did a tribute to Cozy Powell, and then, at the last part, we played songs from brand new album releases.
  As for the contest, the winning song was the live version of If There is Something, by Roxy Music, as it was expected, taken from the album Viva Roxy! This time the competition wasn't so fierce like other times.
  We had a good crowd listening once more, but this time the chatbox was more relaxed in comparison with other shows. We had some nice and fun conversations, while we were listening to music altogether. Judging from the people's reactions and comments, I dare say that it was a very good show, and most of the people seemed to enjoy the music a lot!
As for the playlist, you can see it here:

1st Part (Hard & Heavy): DEEP PURPLE: Perfect Strangers / DEF LEPPARD: High n Dry / IRON MAIDEN: Fear of the Dark / JUDAS PRIEST: Electric Eye.

2nd Part (Song of the Month contest): TWISTED SISTER: Under the Blade (Aver. Rating: 7.58) / ROXY MUSIC: If there is Something – Live (Aver. Rating 8.29) / CURVED AIR: Easy (Aver. Rating: 7.67).

3rd Part (A tribute to Cozy Powell): BRIAN MAY: Resurrection / RAINBOW: Since You Been Gone / GARY MOORE: Led Clones / ROBERT PLANT: Slow Dancer / CINDERELLA: Long Cold Winter.

4th Part (New Releases): TIM BOWNESS: Distant Summers / THIS WINTER MACHINE: After Tomorrow Comes / MERIDIAN INCIDENT: Scene 13 / AYREON: The Day that the World Breaks Down.

I would like to say a very big thanks to all those who chose to spend their Sunday afternoon/night with us. We will "see" you again, on Sunday the  5th of March.

'Till then, take care!

GFreedom's Juke Box No.187

Hello all!
Another Saturday morning is here, so it is a good time to post here my weekly Top-5 songlist for you.
During this week I listened to lots of music, mostly because I was trying to "build" Prog & Roll's playlist for tomorrow. For that reason, most of the songs in the list are included in tomorrow's radio show as well.
So, for this week, these are my best songs:
DEEP PURPLE: Perfect Strangers (Perfect Strangers - 1984)
BIG BIG TRAIN: Judas Unrepentant (English Electric Pt.2 - 2012)
JUDAS PRIEST: Dreamer Deceiver (Sad Wings of Destiny - 1976)
ROXY MUSIC: If there is Something - Live (Viva Roxy! - 1978)
AYREON: The Day that the World Breaks Down (The Source - 2017) (Album's official release date: 28/4/2017)
I will conclude this post by adding the youTube links for the songs in my list. So, in case you are interested, you can listen to them right away.
Enjoy the music and have a nice weekend!
DEEP PURPLE: Perfect Strangers
BIG BIG TRAIN: Judas Unrepentant
JUDAS PRIEST: Dreamer Deceiver
ROXY MUSIC: If there is Something - Live
AYREON: The Day that the World Breaks Down 

SOEN: Lykaia (2017)

For those who aren’t familiar with the name of Soen, I should tell you that is a band with experienced and very gifted musicians, that all of them participated in other famous bands before gathering up and form Soen. So, here you can find ex-members from Opeth, Amon Amarth, Iced Earth, Testament etc.

  Their discography consists of 3 studio albums, with Lykaia, being their brand new one. Since I found out very recently about them, I am not familiar with their previous works so I cannot get into any comparisons.

  When I listen to some “new” Prog Metal bands, every time I found myself thinking how big influence was the music and the style of Tool, and Soen is not an exception.

Their style - to my ears at least – sounds like a mix of Tool with Riverside.

  The truth is that Lykaia is a very good album, but it simply feels like a lot of their ideas are redundant. The guitar playing for example, is top notch, but on the other hand, we have many Prog Metal bands that can play equally well. But there are some “magical” moments that the bands “shines” and there you realize how good musicians these guys are. The album includes some nice compositions, great guitar solos, powerful riffs, clean vocals, but no new ideas, unfortunately. In many cases I found myself wondering, “Where do I know this from”?

  The main problem that this band is facing, is the bitter reality that great musicianship does not equal great songwriting, and although they might have some very solid ideas to develop, they don't really have the ability to capture the listener for an extended period.

  But despite all those things, Lykaia is a good album. The fans of Prog-Metal will definitely enjoy it, not to mention the fans of Progressive Rock and Heavy Metal.

In case you are curious to find out how they sound, just click on the YouTube link below.

            I think I would give 3.0 out of 5.0 stars.

 SOEN: Sectarian