OzProg Content http://www.ozprog.com Progressive rock and metal. Made in Australia. Copyright 2007 Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:02:47 -0700 brad@ozprog.com brad@ozprog.com Tangled Thoughts of Leaving http://www.ozprog.com/interviews/view/30 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:00:00 -0700 Interviews
For drummer James Hoey, guitarist Andrew McDonald and bassist Luke Pollard (Aaron's older brother), the game is continually keeping up with the increasingly strange requests coming from their band leader.

One of the band's songs, the three-minute post-metal bottle rocket "A Vexing Predicament", was pieced together from disparate ideas and improvisations collected from jam sessions and demoes. When it came time to lay down the track in the studio, they were essentially making things up as they went along.

"[Hoey] never had any real idea of where the song was even going," Pollard admits. "We'd tell him things like, 'you have five seconds to play something eclectic and heavy', and then all of those mini-sections were then combined [to form the complete drum track], much to Luke's dismay! Watching him make the bass for that was a laugh."

Luke agrees that this technique made recording bass parts an interesting if trying experience.

"Because so much of the drums are improvised," he explains, "recording bass can be like playing Guitar Hero – watching the screen for changes in the beat. Things are recorded in little chunks, and you have literally no idea how the finished product will sound. It sounds crazy really, but we have such a good understanding between us that we are confident it will work out fine as each person adds their part."

Occasionally, though, someone manages to exact some revenge and Aaron will find himself on the receiving end of a vague piece of direction himself, such as when Luke was trialling ideas for the first half of "The World is a Deaf Machine" and asked his younger sibling to record some piano to sit above the drums and bass in a demo he hadn't yet heard.

"He was totally freaking out because I wouldn't let him hear what he was playing over, I just told him the feel and what I was aiming for. I layered that over the top and it sounded great so I sent it straight back to him. He immediately loved it and so did Andy and James."

That improvised piano line was cleaned up, polished and recorded properly, and now forms the melodic theme for the first half of "The World is a Deaf Machine", which along with "A Vexing Predicament" make up Tangled Thoughts of Leaving's contribution to their recently-released split CD with sleepmakeswaves. The result is an unpredictable, completely immersive 18-minute journey the continues to be reveal more of itself on multiple listens.

To record and release a split CD with a band you have never actually met in person may seem, at first, a challenge. But in the new musical paradigm musicians are able to find like-minded potential collaborators from anywhere in the world with the help of the internet, and the brothers Pollard would not let a pesky 3,000km get in the way of releasing a split CD with sleepmakeswaves.

"[The split CD] stemmed from a mutual interest in each other's music," Aaron says. "From our stand point, we feel very privledged to share an album with a band that is so deservedly aquiring praise globally. We simply couldn't think of any reasons not to do it."

Luke continues: "We were aware of sleepmakeswaves after we heard their first demo online and really enjoyed it. We exchanged a few friendly messages on MySpace and then raised the idea of a split, which was really pie in the sky stuff at the time. But then we realised it wasn't so crazy after all, and would be really beneficial for both bands."

But Tangled Thoughts of Leaving had, to that point, been building their reputation as an avant-garde, jazzy metal band with occasional dalliances into post-metal (mostly thanks to their debut EP Tiny Fragments), and had not really explored the territory of straight up post-rock. The partnership with sleepmakeswaves allowed them to move out of that comfort zone and try something a little different.

"We thought it would be a neat idea to do something that would both counter and compliment what they do," Luke says. "Their music is so positive and uplifting, so we really aimed for "Deaf Machine" to be as bleak as possible. Just to make the split a really interesting listening experience, like two sides of the same coin.

"We wanted to keep it slow and droney and really opressive and desperate sounding. We had been listening to a lot of country-tinged stuff and I had been reading Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian – very dark things. It was afterwards that we added the big heavy climax, although it took us a while to find a way to make it fit. The other guys came up with that while I was away on tour with Eleventh He Reaches London and it took me a few days to accept it," he laughs.

As it happened, sleepmakeswaves opened the Sydney leg of Eleventh He Reaches London's national tour, and Luke (who plays bass in EHRL) would get to meet his Sydney brethren in person after all.

"I met the dudes on tour with EHRL last year. We played with them in Sydney and had a great time. At that stage we had just decided to go ahead with the split, so it was great to meet them and talk about it all – as ambitious as it all seemed then!"

But ambition is in plentiful supply in Perth, and is almost a prerequisite of forming a band there. As the world's most isolated capital city, if you don't commit fully to what you are doing in Perth, you will toil in a level of obscurity not possible in other states. It's fair to say that ambition, and possibly optimism, played a significant role when Aaron Pollard started Tangled Thoughts of Leaving in Perth as a 14-year-old.

"It was something I started when I was quite young, probably 14," he recalls. "Andy was a guitarist friend of mine and I attended school with James. We started jamming before I forced us to get started by booking a gig before we even had a real setlist. Funnily enough, that gig was at the Rosemount Hotel, and James sadly plays his last show with us on May 2nd at the same venue.

"There's no doubting we were a pretty craptacular band for the majority of that time. [We had] big ideas without the proficiency to pull it off. That said, there's only one real way of knowing the right direction, and that's to well and truly know the wrong way. The term 'earn your stripes' is an understatement for us!"

Tangled Thoughts of Leaving join Eleventh He Reaches London, HEIRS and Mystic Eyes for drummer James Hoey's final gig with the band at the Rosemount Hotel on May 2nd, presented by Bombshellzine. You can purchase their split CD with sleepmakeswaves on their MySpace profile at www.myspace.com/ttol.

(Photos courtesy of Cameron Obscura at cameronobscura.blogspot.com and Laurence Davis at shapeshiftcreative.com.)]]> Split http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/59 Sun, 12 Apr 2009 17:00:00 -0700 Music Reviews
There is more than just a two-hour time difference between them, but without ever setting foot in each others' home states Sydney's sleepmakeswaves and Perth's Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving have collaborated across 3,000km on a split CD that shows the world that Australia's melodic post-rock scene can hold its own.

Harking back to the era of split vinyls — and possibly leaving the door ajar for a future vinyl release themselves — the artists have taken 20 minutes each in which to work. Here, two OzProg contributors split the split and experience the two sides separately.

sleepmakeswaves

By Gary Dickson.

The debut self-titled EP from sleepmakeswaves was a small success for the band. Well-received, the first pressing sold out and enabled them to undertake a series of east coast tours. Their shows built them a profile as a dynamic and flowing live act, a crushing tide of sound would ebb and leave the audience with just a trickle from the guitar and a crisp hi-hat. Such a metaphor beautifully describes the nature of sleepmakeswaves' sound — diverse influences from well beyond the realm of post-rock allow for songs that can seamlessly switch from doom metal to light ambience and electro, then back again in a heartbeat.

Having spent much of the last two years carving a niche for themselves the band could've rested, but instead they have carefully reviewed and subsequently refined the style they crafted. Where the EP saw transitions in the music often happen instantaneously, nothing on the split is quite so spontaneous. Instead of focusing on an early (but satisfying) climax they have opted to slow the act down, gently working their way to a place that doesn't feel as momentous but is sweeter for it. The firm presence of the rhythm section holds you close after everything has calmed and the whispers of ringing guitars promise next time will be even better.

In achieving this, the band have displayed increased attention to detail, along with a greater sense of subtlety.

"Keep Your Splendid Silent Sun" opens slowly but along lines that will sound familiar to fans of the EP, with an ambient ringing and a distorted guitar riff running along in the background. A beautiful piano is the central focus of an intro that weaves through static until drum and bass guitar step in to guide the way. The guttural bass thundering along the low end is the highlight of a much improved mix.

Some light play between a jangling guitar and carefully-echoing electro in "We Sing The Body Electric" turns when the guitar intensity increases and overpowers; the rest of the piece is marked by sections of electronic submission and six-stringed domination.

The keys in "This Is How We Remember (Secret Robot)" are quiet and melancholic until reassured by a certain amount of optimism from the guitar. At this point the mood lifts and, aided ably by strong drum line, the track carries the listener forward through a sonic journey of similar construction to something by God Is An Astronaut. The likeness is not absolute, however, as sleepmakeswaves again avoid a climax that would only serve to cheapen the emotion that had been meticulously laid out.

With this release, sleepmakeswaves have proven they are not willing to stick precisely to what they know and will continue to refine the music that they make. Fans of the band will hear a lot of familiar-sounding moments in this release but a careful listener will notice the subtle differences in their approach. The music is not a far leap forward from the EP but a very promising example of what to expect from the band in the future.

www.sleepmakeswaves.com
www.myspace.com/sleepmakeswaves

Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving

By Bradley Dixon.

While sleepmakeswaves' side is a refinement of what is largely their "signature" sound, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving have delved further into their own post-rock tendencies and temporarily shifted the jazzy, prog rock fare of their debut album Tiny Fragments to the back of the fridge. Upon first hearing of the SMW/TTOL collaboration in its infancy, I was not convinced that the two bands' styles would synchronise well enough to release a cohesive CD, but the westerners put paid to that by taking what has previously been a secondary influence on their music and placing it right in the spotlight.

As a result, they've added a whole new dimension to their music and clawed themselves nearer the top of the 'most underrated bands in the country' category.

An element that has carried over from their debut record is a love of the grandiose. Their 18 minute allocation is divided into a 3-minute warm-up ("A Vexing Predicament") and a 900lb gorilla of a track stretching to over 15 epic minutes ("The World Is A Deaf Machine"). This breathing space allows them to explore rhythmic patterns in greater depth than sleepmakeswaves, at the expense of truly showing off their genre-spanning versatility.

Parts of Tiny Fragments evoke the full-tilt insanity of Isis at their heaviest, but for the split they concentrate on a different side of modern post-rock: the hypnotic rhythm repetition and slow-burn build up. Being all instrumental and without the shrieked vocals of their debut there is far less of a metallic atmosphere to the music, which the clean, chirpy piano melody reinforces.

"A Vexing Predicament" is truly just a warm up; mostly noodly, glitchy piano over a sparse rhythm, half-heartedly growing towards a chaotic end but not fully exploring itself in great depth. It merely serves as counterpoint to the entirely engrossing composition following it, the beast that is "The World Is A Deaf Machine".

Beginning with a foreboding bass guitar/piano theme which threads itself throughout the piece, the song slowly ambles towards nowhere, gradually building and building until you suddenly realise you're swept up in the middle of the storm and the lush piano punctuations have become aggressive, angular explosions over a wave of guitars. While it takes nearly 10 minutes for the track to reach its zenith, it feels like far less than that before, all of a sudden, it's gone. The build-up-let-down formula is one of post-rock's most dearly-loved and well-practiced cliches, but for some reason it continues to be effective, and is certainly effective here.

Still finding their sound, Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving have added a post-rock string to their already formidably-diverse bow, which will improve the overall quality of their future output (including a full-length CD release coming later in 2009) and expand their audience towards Australia's fledgling atmospheric rock community. As more and more people discover them, they will find a band that taken only two releases to make themselves a must-hear band.

www.myspace.com/ttol]]> Toe Hider http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/58 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:00:00 -0800 Music Reviews Toe Hider escaped from the mind of one Michael Mills, previously the singer, guitarist and primary driving force behind Melbourne prog wunderkinds Template. But where Template framed itself somewhere between Led Zeppelin and The Mars Volta on the wank scale (and I mean that in the best possible way), Toe Hider cranks the prog-o-meter way up to 11.

With equally-sized tips of the hat to Queen and cartoon theme songs of the 1980s, Toe Hider explores territory often decried as dated by trendy music critics, but drags it into the modern age with the deft touch of Coheed and Cambria.

If you're a sucker for prog rock done old school (from 70s King Crimson to 90s Dream Theater), Toe Hider is certainly for you. And if you're like me and have moved on from your days as a Dream Theater fanboy, Toe Hider is definitely for you too. It'll make you remember why you fell in love with prog in the first place.

The five-track EP combines Mills' twisted lyrics and melodic sensibility with everything great about pompous, overblown theatrical rock into an eccentric, esoteric whole. It is a frighteningly vivid journey into the mindset of a child, exploring dreams, the boogey man and triumphantly conquering one's fears. For a one-man effort it is astoundingly ambitious and technically complex, with a depth of production that rewards multiple listens.

A majestic, choral instrumental number announces the EP's arrival, and it's about the only track on the EP that made any sense to me. I honestly have no idea what the hell the lyrics in the four tracks with vocals are supposed to mean, but if you've ever watched and enjoyed the film Donnie Darko you'll recognise the feeling you get when you try to decipher the story of Toe Hider. Template's lyrics were esoteric enough, but Toe Hider is just ridiculous.

The title track is, as far as I can tell, a tale of some kind of Wonka-esque being of fantasy who goes about nicking peoples' toes. I don't really want to venture into it further than that, lest it haunt my dreams for ever more.

The same can be said about the final two tracks as well, they being "You're Not The Girl You Said You Were" and "The Moon Was A Kite". I would love to analyse them, but I don't want to resurrect the spirit of Quetzalcoatl, so I think they're left well enough alone.

"Jesuitmont" is the odd track out, an interpretation of a traditional Celtic ballad, and though it is based on source material Mills' arrangement turns a mild flute-and-fiddle number into a slightly heavy prog anthem.

As with a lot of the best theatrical rock, you've really got to attempt to get inside the story, feel the atmosphere and place yourself into the narrative. Mills makes this quite an easy task with the evocative, cinematic quality of his music shining through.

The entire EP can be streamed from MySpace, Facebook and Last.fm for a limited time, but if you want to support Australian music in a way that directly benefits the artist, consider buying the Toe Hider EP online for $9.95. Included in the package alongside a high-quality MP3 version of the record is a beautifully designed fold-at-home origami CD case and lyrics displayable on your iPod.]]> Insurgentes http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/57 Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:00:00 -0800 Music Reviews
Behind the masks of his numerous and varied projects (Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Bass Communion, Blackfield, and others) sits a common element: a rock-solid and artful sense of how to create good music — and good sounding music — which Wilson ably executes in most things he sets his mind to.

On Insurgentes, Wilson has decided to break free of the pre-conceptions associated with his more established projects and attempted to strike gold on his own. On a superficial level, Insurgentes appears to have a lot in common with the rest of his catalogue — especially Porcupine Tree — but on repeated listen it's clear that this is purely a reflection of Wilson's unmistakeable guitar tone, singing voice and Gavin Harrison's inimitable drumming (which appears on all but one track). When you really dig deep, it is Wilson's most experimental work to date, with drone and noise rock as influencial as 1990s alternative and melancholica, and with splashes of jazz, shoegaze, krautrock, and atmospheric minimalism thrown in as well.

You may notice that some of those descriptions correspond nicely with descriptions of his other projects, and Insurgentes would make a good single-disc introduction to Wilson's versatility, if not quite his capacity for brilliance. Flavours from each of his various projects are infused into each track: Porcupine Tree's alternative hard rock and lush atmospheric minimalism is especially evident in "Veneno Para Las Hadas", which sounds almost like a re-work of "The Sky Moves Sideways", and there are hints of No-Man, the lethargic drone of Bass Communion, and the lucious pop of Blackfield.

Sadly, while it gets better every time I listen to it, there is nothing on Insurgentes particularly groundbreaking, and nothing I would say is better than most of his existing work.

Were it to face judgement alongside Porcupine Tree's three most recent albums (In Absentia, Deadwing, Fear Of A Blank Planet — fact you didn't ask for: my nomination for best three-peat in music history), it would stick out a mile. But when you sit down, lights faded, and listen to it as a piece of work on its own terms, beholden only to itself, a light shines through it. Wilson's reputation as an accomplished yet unimaginative producer will remain in tact: the album is brought to life through what is essentially his "safe" production technique, but it does sound gorgeous for such a diverse album. The 5.1 surround mix will surely be something to behold, as Wilson's involvement in re-mixing King Crimson's back catalogue for surround sound release is testament to his reputation in that field.

Also testament to Wilson's reputation is the calibre of guest musicians roped in for special appearances, including Dream Theater's Jordan Rudess (repaying the favour Wilson paid to Rudess by singing on the Emerson, Lake and Palmer track "Tarkus" on Rudess' most recent solo effort), Robert Fripp of King Crimson, bass master Tony Levin and many others.

Insurgentes is an essential addition to Wilson's already formidable discography, but will not replace any of Porcupine Tree's records in the minds of his many fans.

There are few artists in the sphere of music who have the ability to work in such a wide array of styles and still manage to lend a coherant pop sensibility to a piece of work, but Steven Wilson is a sort of musical polymath in that way.]]> Making Waves with Tom Binetter http://www.ozprog.com/interviews/view/29 Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:00 -0800 Interviews
Last week, two exciting Australian bands announced that they would collaborate on a split CD in 2009. Perth's Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving and Sydney's sleepmakeswaves, both former OzProg featured artists, have been holed up in studios on opposing sides of the country recording material for the split, and thanks to mysterious, sporadic photographic updates from sleepmakeswaves' recording sessions posted to their online forum, anticipation was building even before details of the record had surfaced.

As guitarist Tom Binetter explains, the album will close sleepmakeswaves' current chapter and allow them to move forward with a new sound in the new year. Their well-received debut EP In Today Already Walks Tomorrow — hailed by one reviewer as sounding like "what would happen if Jeff Buckley never sang on his records; full of emotion and featuring many different sections that somehow fuse together to make a perfect whole" — has received attention both in Australia and among the growing post-rock scene worldwide, but Binetter hopes to keep progressing with their first full-length album in 2009.

"The sleepmakeswaves side [of the split] will feature three tracks, two of which have been performed live in recent months and a third which is brand new. The material on the split, particularly the first two songs, were older songs that we felt needed to be recorded before we were done with them. One of the songs in particular was written before some of the material for the [In Today Already Walks Tomorrow] EP was finished. For the album we are going in a slightly new direction so we wanted to tie up the so-called loose ends before progressing."

"What we've been going for is a much more organic live sound, as opposed to the very polished, produced sound of the EP. It's been difficult to find each instrument's delicate sonic space in relation to everyone else's, but after a lot of tweaking each instrument cuts through quite nicely. We've introduced a greater focus on keyboard sounds, including piano, mellotron and other synth sounds. Some of these are in the background, but they fill up areas very nicely."

The plan is to release the split in March of 2009 either through a traditional record distributor or a netlabel such as Lost Children, with whom sleepmakeswaves found success in 2007 distributing their self-titled demo online.

"Releasing our demo on Lost Children," he explains, "was an important step in that international exposure. We've had over 10,000 downloads to date that in turn has created lots of word of mouth support. The internet has been important in that regard."

But regardless of the distribution model, both sleepmakeswaves and Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving hope that what sets each of them apart from the rest of Australia's musical landscape will hold them in good stead. Tangled Thoughts Of Leaving's influences range from free jazz and fusion all the way to heavy metal, and it's much the same for sleepmakeswaves.

"Each member's different musical background helps bring atypical elements into our sound," Binetter says. "In particular, the jazz fusion percussion background of our drummer Will is something that's very unusual when it comes to post-rock drumming. Alex's interest in math rock and IDM, my interest in extreme metal and Kid's in more out-there electronic and ambience all helps too. I don't think we are radical departures from anything else in the genre, but I think this is an example of something different which helps set us apart."

As native Sydney-siders, sleepmakeswaves have ventured forth to Melbourne and Brisbane with their powerful and dynamic live shows only in the past few months, but the response has already been positive.

"To be honest, I find playing at home to be the most difficult crowds. In Sydney we play shows quite often, so you have to win audiences over who are used to you and already desensitised to your performance. Interstate it's a little easier because it's not every day an audience can come and see you, so they are often more enthusiastic which helps spur us along."

They return to Melbourne later this month for the OzProg-sponsored Prog Fest, joining a legion of local prog acts including Ne Obliviscaris, Mushroom Giant and A State Of Flux at the East Brunswick Club on December 27th before taking a breather.

"Not only is coming to Melbourne exciting because of everyone's enthusiasm, but to be on such a brilliant lineup is a real treat for us. In the case of Ne Obliviscaris, if it wasn't enough of a dream to play with them twice already, the third time lucky will be the icing on the cake. Also what makes this festival extra special is the ability to play for and repay OzProg who have been terrific to us in terms of support and exposure, so all in all, its going to be something special."

"Each time we've come down, we've been really blown away by both attendances and enthusiasm. It's also great to see so many different types of people coming to the shows from all walks of life, which is something we most certainly encourage."

"The next few months after that we will be taking some time off to write material for future releases. We'll hopefully be doing our next run of shows in late March or April, but who knows what the future holds."

You can hear the cinematic soundscapes of sleepmakeswaves on their MySpace profile at www.myspace.com/sleepmakeswaves, and catch them in Melbourne for OzProg's Prog Fest on December 27th at the East Brunswick Club.]]> All Along This Land http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/56 Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0800 Music Reviews
Their sound can be described as a melting pot of ideas ranging from the Beatles' melodic approach to the virtuosic elements of Yes (especially in the guitar and keyboard department), with a little of the newer prog bands mixed in for good measure.

The CD starts with a very catchy Beatles-esque song that could have turned up in one of their anthology albums. A great way to hook the listener with the promise of better things to come and I wasn't disappointed.

Following is their almost obligatory multi-part title track suite "All Along This Land". It's divided into five parts with a total of over 22 minutes of music. This is an ambitious undertaking for any artist, let alone a debut release by a 'young' band, but their ambition must certainly be applauded! Having said that, the guys in Yes, Genesis and King Crimson were very young when they did a lot of their best work. Ambitious as it is, the tracks do work very well as a suite and the compositional elements are very refined.

Finally, there are three medium length tracks (between seven–eight minutes) which are also very good pieces that round out the 49 minute album.

Overall, The Source really shine through wth their song writing and musicianship. Where they could improve, however is in their production values. I would place the sound production a few steps higher than a good quality demo, but in this day and age, it's vitally important to make sure every element of the recording is of the highest quality. There are also a few 'loose' sections that should have been tightened up, either by doing some beat manipulation or a re-take if you're a purist.

Aaron Goldich's vocals are pleasant, but they won't set the world on fire and my advice to them would be to have a dedicated frontline vocalist that can not only entertain an audience without being restricted behind a keyboard stack, but can give a more polished, unique edge from a vocal performance perspective. That's not to say the vocals are bad, they're just not where they should be if this band is seeking a higher degree of success in a competetive market.

In conclusion, The Source are certainly a band to watch in the future if this effort is anything to go by.

Musicianship and song writing 8.5/10, production and vocal performance 6.5/10.]]> Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/55 Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0800 Music Reviews Sleeping In Traffic: Part 2 is the latest release from Swedish prog rockers Beardfish and is a tightly-played, well produced effort from this seasoned band and a worthy addition to the progressive rock canon.

The CD contains eight tracks featuring the colossal 35 minute epic title track, two short instrumental pieces that serve as musical bookends, and five other more easily-digestible tracks ranging from six to nine minutes in length.

The concept of the entire CD is a sequel to the previously released Part 1, relating the adventures of their main character whose relationship with his partner has just come to an end, and we follow this person through a series of bizarre dream-like adventures.

I haven't heard any other releases by this band including part one of Sleeping In Traffic, but based on the quality of this disc, I'm certainly keen to hear more!

After the short opening bookend instrumental, the CD kicks into high gear with "Into The Night". The first thing I notice about this track is the singer's voice. Clean and strong and well suited to the style. The keyboards are predominant in the mix, awash with hammond, mellotron, clavinet and some quirky synth work. All standard staples of the prog style. There's nothing new here sonically, but the familiarity of the instrumentation is comforting. There is also no shortage of virtuosity, changing tempi and time signatures and extended instrumental passages.

Track three "The Hunter" has a very live feel to it and a great triplet groove going on over a very dark lyric. The next track, "South Of The Border", apparently all about a closet homosexual named Garth, shows the lighter, more comical and irreverent side of the band both lyrically and musically. Even though it has a country rock vibe to it in parts, there's still plenty of unusual goings on in the vein of Zappa and Captain Beefheart to keep the listener on their toes. Though not my favourite track of the album, I do applaud their experimentalism and quirky sense of humour.

"Cashflow" is an instrumental track with some elements of Pink Floyd, Gentle Giant (particularly the clavinet playing) and even hints of Steely Dan here and there. Track six, "The Downward Spiral/Chimay" is two tracks in one and probably the hardest track to get involved in. It's not a bad track, but it doesn't really go anywhere and I find myself looking forward to the next track rather than listening to this one.

Now we get to their magnum opus, "Sleeping In Traffic". Sometimes, even now, after CDs have been around for many years, it's hard for me to get my head around songs that are more than 20 minutes long. Having said that, this track is well worth the time spent in listening.

The compositional aspects of this track draws from many different sources of progressive song writing and keeps the listener engaged without rushing from one section to the next. There is a fluidity and un-hurriedness about the track that deserves uninterrupted listening with a good speaker system or set of headphones.

The musicianship is excellent throughout and the bed tracks were by all reports recorded live. The only slight let-down in my opinion, would be the strength of the vocals. There are a few intonation problems in this track not evident in the other vocal tracks on the CD. However, I must stress that I'm being very picky here; I'm a bit of a pitch Nazi, I'm afraid.

Overall, there's much to like about this album and this band in general. I'll certainly be checking out their other releases. Suffice to say that this album has pride of place in my car stereo at the moment.]]> Add Colour http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/54 Sat, 1 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0700 Music Reviews
In September 2006, a band by the name of Seven opened for the up-and-coming Karnivool at the sweaty, sweltering Ruby's Lounge, east of Melbourne. Seven never had a particularly lasting impact on Australia's music scene in their careers, but even now, two years later, I can vividly remember the sheer electricity they generated on that Belgrave stage.

I wasted no time plonking down my $10 to buy their EP Escape Sequence, expecting that when I got it home and played it, the CD would literally pop out of my stereo from the amounts of energy contained on that little piece of plastic.

Instead, what I heard was limp and lifeless; the kineticism of their live show had entirely failed to translate onto the recorded medium.

For bands that spend great lengths of time developing their live chops, it can be difficult to make the transition to CD. Melbourne's Rook were one such band, once.

As good as the songs on their latest release (Transitions) were, that EP couldn't hold a candle to the religious experience their concerts could inspire. For a band on the heavier end of the spectrum, as Rook are, bringing that style of music to life can be far more difficult than it is for an acoustic or indie rock band, and the better you are as a live outfit, the harder it is for you to capture that in the recording process.

As it happened, Rook commanded one of Melbourne's most loyal fan bases due in large part to their ability to rip up a stage with the best, and that's precisely what Transitions would forever be unable to convey.

Its lacklustre production didn't help much, so it's a good thing Rook got Shihad drummer Tom Larkin and uber-producer Forrester "the fourth/fifth/sixth member of every band in Australia" Savell involved this time around. While no release will ever completely encapsulate the feeling of a Rook gig, Add Colour comes pretty damn close.

(Ironically, it was Savell who produced, mastered and engineered Seven's afore-mentioned Escape Sequence. I guess he's changed his style a lot since then.)

With only five songs in the barely 20-minute long collection, the band have chosen the songs that provide the most bang for buck, and there isn't a low point on the EP.

But that doesn't necessarily mean they've gone for an all-out heaviness assault. As the title suggests, each and every song is luciously painted with a brilliant array of colours, moods and emotions. The EP reflects the diverse range of influences that combine to produce the signature Rook sound: grunge, dub, reggae and world music receive equal representation among the good old Australian heavy alternative rock that forms their foundation.

Larkin's influence is especially evident in the use of delay effects and vocal harmonies, something not as extensively employed on Transitions or the much earlier Paper Street EP.

As a whole, Add Colour takes the sound that Rook have built a reputation on, and hauls it to the next level. The Bushido/.hinge-style progressive rock that has defined them in the past is still there (.hinge's Glenn Johnstone makes a guest appearance on "27 Seconds"), but they've added life, lustre, and above all, colour.

Ironically, with all the studio bells and whistles, it might end up being difficult for them to do it justice in a live setting.

Rook hit the road with Dead Letter Circus and Melodyssey throughout the rest of 2008. You can hear them on their MySpace profile at www.myspace.com/rookband.]]> Memento Mori http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/music/view/53 Sat, 1 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0700 Music Reviews
Eve's Protege are talented musicians with an emotive, passionate vocalist; but every time I listen to Memento Mori—their debut EP—I wonder to myself how exceptional the product could have been if only they'd made more of an effort to branch out from the stereotypical medium-paced "alternative rock" sound.

As I see it, the album's problems can be separated into two levels: the subtle, and the more obvious.

The subtle: everything from the crunchy guitar tone and swirling riffs to the light vocal reverb leaves a gentle yet distinct taste of Tool on the pallette.

The obvious: the title track's similarity to "46 & 2" and "Schism" is more than passing.

When the best thing you can say about a CD is that it's not all derivative, you're in trouble.

What some bands don't understand is that, yes, Tool's best work and the work they are most famous for, is their heavier, rhythmic hard rock side.

But what set them apart and made them a truly great group was that their music had colour: Aenima had the slow-burning "Eulogy", the dark, constrictive "Jimmy" and the thinner, more frantic "Aenema" - not to mention "Message to Harry Manback" and "Intermission". Lateralus countered one-dimensionality with songs like "Parabol" and "Disposition". 10,000 Days swings from "Rosetta Stoned" and it's crushing heaviness to "Intension", a song breathtaking in its ethereality.

Without the light, the dark isn't as effective. Without "Parabol", "Parabola" would be a good song; with it, it's a great song.

So on the surface it may seem like an album of songs that sound like "Parabola", "Schmism" and "46 & 2" would be fantastic, but in practice? Not so much.

In Eve's Protege's favour is the fact that many bands before them have graduated from being Tool tribute acts early in the careers to releasing original, even groundbreaking work later on. You need only compare Cog's Just Visiting EPs to the magnificent Sharing Space for proof.

But as it stands, Memento Mori is an exercise in wasted talent. And talent is one thing they do have. If they can begin writing more interesting music, the only place Eve's Protege can go is straight up.]]> Rook @ The Esplanade Hotel, Melbourne http://www.ozprog.com/reviews/events/view/17 Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:00:00 -0700 Event Reviews Add Colour.

Kicking off the night with a bang was Alba Varden, their high-energy danceable rock sound with soaring vocals reminiscent of fellow Melburnians Dukes Of Windsor and Adelaide's Mere Theory. They set the mood for the night to come: passionate, intense and colourful music; engaging visual experience; and above all, high-quality tunes commanding the attention of the early arrivals almost immediately.

They were the surprise packet of the night, and surely won themselves a handful of new fans before making way for Engine Three Seven, replacing Bushido (a late scratching in the week before the show).

Those are pretty hefty shoes to fill, but Engine Three Seven are a pretty hefty band (in the best possible sense of the word). An appearance at the recent Full Scale DVD launch in Melbourne showed what the newly-resident Melburnians are capable of, and the gig-going populace of their adoptive city have welcomed them with open arms—no mean feat in a city that boasts one of the highest concentrations of heavy alternative rock bands in the country.

The atmosphere escalated from rocking to raucus as the room filled up and Engine Three Seven's set powered forward like a freight train, frontman Casey Dean conducting the crowd like a maestro. The heaviest band of the night by a long way, they built upon Alba Varden's hard work loosening the crowd with a frenetic display of quirky and genuinely original heavy rock.

Drenched with sweat, their 40 minutes on stage came to a close with an almighty cheer. They now occupy a space in punters' hearts and minds that Rook themselves used to call their own. The little band that could. Everyone's second favourite band on any particular bill. The band that convinces people to be at a gig they normally wouldn't go to, because they know at least one of the bands is going to put on a fantastic show.

And that's exactly what they delivered.

The Evening Son could not have walked on stage to a more fired up group of people. The liquor had been flowing as fast and hard as the riffs, and all they needed was one final push towards fever pitch before Rook took to the stage, but that wasn't something The Evening Son seemed able to provide.

Their meandering, atmospheric rock sound—while excellent in its own right—did not continue the electricity of the bands preceeding, and the crowd certainly picked up on it. The band were stuck in second gear, like Dead Letter Circus on diazepam, and didn't manage to keep the room engaged.

On a more suitable bill they could be a standout; following Engine Three Seven they stuck out like a sore thumb.

But it mattered not an ounce as the curtains were drawn in preparation for the headline act: Rook, smack in the middle of a hectic touring schedule but as energetic as ever.

It's taken a comparatively long time for Rook to establish themselves among the elite of Melbourne's modern alternative rock brigade, but Friday, October 24th, 2008 will stand as the day they broke into the big time. At the Full Scale DVD launch just three weeks prior they played second fiddle to a resurgent .hinge, but this was their night, their chance to prove why they were handpicked to support Dead Letter Circus on their upcoming national tour, and why they themselves will be headlining national tours not long from now.

Showcasing a mix of new, old and very old material, they demonstrated just how far they've come in their relatively short careers.

If I've had one criticism of Rook in the past it's been the one-dimensional nature of their music: they could always rock, but hadn't really proven that they could be as dynamic as some. Well I'm here to tell you, their new songs add so much—pardon the pun—colour to their music that it's almost like listening to a different band.

The title track from the Add Colour EP—supported at the Espy by special guests Glenn Johnstone of .hinge and Bushido's Guy Shenfield—sees Rook steer away from the relative safety of fast, heavy rock and into the uncharted waters of majestic, soulful rock and roll.

Another new song, "Sonny", brings their reggae/funk influence to the fore. It's always been an important part of Rook's overall philosophy but has never been put so squarely front-and-centre, and they're certainly better for it.

It's these tweaks and additions to their sound that will see Rook in good stead for the future. We already have enough bands trying to be Cog and The Butterfly Effect, so Rook will be able to carve out their own little niche as the slightly left-field alternative for people who like their progressive rock with a little less metal and a bit more of a worldly feel.

For the old school fans, "Then The Jury Decides" is possibly the hardest rocking song Rook have written, with a guitar riff that downright forces you to bang your head, and it's certainly been a massive hit whenever they've played it live in the past. "Fiction" might be out of a job as the fan favourite, I'm sorry to say.

Throughout the show frontman Forbes McKail is no shrinking violet, jumping, jiving, ducking and weaving to all corners of the stage, locking eyes with members of the crowd and flashing his winning smile at every opportunity. Guitarist Tyson Fish seems a lot more animated than usual, thrashing his head while Adam May on bass explores areas of the stage usually reserved for the other musicians.

As a live band, they rival Gyroscope and Mammal for Australia's most fun to watch. They'd give Mammal some heavy competition for most dedicated army of fans as well, and they would have been stoked at the turnout and passionate response from everyone in attendance on such a warm spring evening.

The extended thank yous and bows were testament to their appreciation, and no one can blame them for taking a moment to savour the fruits of years of labour.

Just outside the Espy's Gershwin Room, in the front bar, were Melbourne veterans Bugdust, who must have been cursing what they were up against just next door. Melbourne has a new contender for the position of must-see rock band, and it goes by the name of Rook.

You can catch Rook supporting Dead Letter Circus with Melodyssey throughout the remainder of 2008. The Add Colour EP is out now through Rare Records.]]>