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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Elza

Nothing's Wrong

Review by Gary Hill

I've reviewed this and two singles from the album for this issue of Music Street Journal. I have put all of them under progressive rock, but I can see how some people might take issue with that. To me it is artistic, and it's not far removed from a lot of modern electronic based progressive for. For that reason this fits in that category, but it's clearly not the prog of the 1970s. What this really is, though, is a very powerful and dramatic set of tunes that works quite well. It should be noted that I essentially used the same track reviews for the singles that I used for those reviews since they are the same song.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 6. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review
Moonlight And I
Percussive elements lead this number out of the gate. Waves of keyboards join after a time. The vocals come in over that backdrop, creating a cool musical texture that has a definite electronic prog vibe to it.  The cut gets more energy and intensity further down the road, managing to really rock out quite a bit.
Endeavor
Starting electronic and rather mellow, this is quite artsy as the vocals join it. It is a mellow, balladic texture in this early section. This cut remains reasonably mellow, but works out to some cool dreamy textures that are still rather slow. This is another that's decidedly set in a modern progressive rock kind of arrangement.
Swayed
Electronic and percussive elements open this piece. I like the vocal line that comes over the top. It has an intriguing sound. The cut works forward into an almost space rock kind of element. It gets into some harder rocking territory as it continues. There is a definite pop rock meets alternative edge to this, but the electronic elements and definite unusual edge to it make this more of an artsy kind of number. It's classy stuff for sure.
Hollow
Drums bring this into being. Electronics come over the top as it continues. The cut takes on a sound not far removed from something like Tangerine Dream for the first lines of vocals. It rocks more as it continues and other instrumentation joins. This has a complex and magical arrangement with all kinds of layers of sound driving it.
Simple Dreams
Intricate acoustic guitar is at the heart of this number from the start. That poses a sharp contrast to the electronic nature of the music that has come before. This is complex, quite classical in nature, and very cool. There are some definite jazz-like qualities to some of the later parts of this, and the whole thing is decidedly artsy.
Nothing's Wrong
I love the violin sounds on this cut. The tune has more of a mainstream rock vibe, but still enough modern prog in the mix to keep it landed under that heading. This is evocative and powerful. It has a driving rhythm section and is packed with a lot of magic. It gets quite intense as it starts to rck more.
Stay With Me
This starts acapella and gradually some electronic elements are added to the mix. "Artsy" would be a great definition of this piece. It gets more of a jazzy electronic prog vibe as it moves forward.
Room
Arguably the most mainstream rock tune here, there is a real bluesy, soulful alternative rock grind to this thing. It has some proggy tendencies, but there is also some especially crunchy guitar work and just a very direct approach to it all. There is some stuff later in the track that feels a bit like theremin. There is also some killer jamming to go with it. That part of the piece launches it into more prog based territory. This is the real soaring rocker of the set. It's also one of my favorites here.
Can't Heal
For some reason this song makes me think of Procol Harum to a large degree. It has a definite folk prog kind of vibe to it. Yet there is a modern edge to it, too. It gets more involved as other layers of sound are added. It's a classy cut and a different side to the sound.
One Day
Although this is quite electronic and alternative in nature, it still has a lot of modern prog elements at its core. It's slow moving and moody. It's also compelling.
 
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