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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Major Moment

One Small Step

Review by Gary Hill

This is quite an intriguing set. One thing that makes this stand out from a lot of modern music is the fact that this is really a cohesive set of music rather than a bunch of songs just sort of put together. It has opening and closing instrumental movements, and there are segues connecting the majority of the tracks in between. That element is quite progressive rock like, and there are also some other prog-like elements. Beyond that, though, this lands somewhere in a territory that seems to encompass alternative rock, modern pop rock and nu-metal. This is a strong set. It makes me interested in hearing more from this act.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review
Intro
Trippy electronic stuff that's keyboard based, this is instrumental, short and spacey. It segues straight into the next number.
Before It’s Too Late

The keyboard textures from the previous piece begin this cut. The song powers out from there to a hard rocking jam that's classy. It drops for a modern alternative rock movement for the vocals to enter. This seems to merge alternative pop rock with an almost nu-metal approach at times. It's accessible and meaty. It's also very strong. There is a mellower movement at the end that takes us straight into the next piece.

Mistakes
As this rises up from the sedate stuff the ended the previous number, it has an almost Pink Floyd like texture to it. The cut works out by turning that toward the alternative pop rock sounds we've learned to expect based on the last tune. There are some processed vocals further down the road for effect. The vocal arrangement on this cut is quite complex and full of different voices. It's another particularly effective piece. I think it's stronger than the number that came before it, actually.
What It’s Like
More of a mainstream alternative rocker, there are some cool moods built into this number. It gets plenty of metal crunch, too. In fact, it's another tune that leans toward nu-metal.
How Would You Know?

I like the balance between the mellower and more rocking sounds on this number. It isn't a huge change, but it's a distinctly different number. It's also strong. This connects directly through a bit of texture to the set closer.

The Release
Coming out of the previous piece, textural sounds give way to mellow melodics. This works to something that again makes me think of Pink Floyd a bit. This piece is an instrumental that's decidedly odd. It also definitely lands in the neighborhood of progressive rock. There are a lot of symphonic elements here and strange as this might be (it gets rather dissonant at times), it is also very compelling. It makes for a great closer and a solid bookend contrasted against the opening piece.

 

 
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