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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Crystal Beth

Push Through

Review by Gary Hill

I'd consider this more art rock than progressive rock, but they both go under the same heading. This has a lot of world music built into it, but it's all tweaked and twisted around space rock, psychedelia and more to create something unique and very intriguing. You probably won't find anything quite like this. It really defies classification or definition. Yet, it's somehow manages to really grab the listener - well, at least this one.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 6. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.

Track by Track Review
Push Through
Percussive in nature, this has an urban vibe mixed with weird electronica and world music. It's bizarre, but also very cool. The mix of organic and artificial is intriguing. It gets so powerful and driving as it works forward. There are parts of this that make me think of the more tribal stuff from early Hawkwind. The cut dissolves into pure space near the end. Then we get mellow world music from there to eventually take it to its closing.
Our Piece
Wind instrumentation brings a decidedly world music concept here. That holds it for the most part, but hints of space music and other things emerge at points, but only as hints. As it approaches the three-and-a-half-minute mark world vocals enter to herald a new movement. That section carries much of the elements from the first half, but gets into more strange electronic zones and artsy sounds as it continues.
Shrill
There is plenty of cool weirdness on display here. World music, electronic and more merge in a bizarre, but oddly compelling arrangement here. The tribal side of early Hawkwind is a bit of a reference here, too.
Dolphy
There is a real jazz element on display in the opening movement here. The vocals both add to that approach and bring world music concepts. This is very much an art music kind of exploration.
Go Fast

While this is among the most mainstream music here, it still has a decidedly artsy vibe. There is jazz, space music and world music all built into it.

Invocation

While this is much more purely world music based, particularly from the vocals, it also has definite space elements.

Kali Out

There is a bit of a psychedelic or space element at play as this cut comes into being. This gets very trippy and more world music based as it continues.

So Much Hurts
Jazz and space music merge on the opening of this number. At nearly nine-minutes of music, this is the most extensive piece here. More than half the cut is purely instrumental.

 

  
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