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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Le Rug Beenex Review by Gary Hill When I’m getting my list of CD’s to review together for a new issue, I go through everything I’ve gotten in, skip through the first two or three songs (except for the artists I know) and then organize them into piles (prog, metal and other) and then make my selections from there. Well, this CD actually got put in the prog pile based on those first two tracks. When you read the track by track review, you’ll see why. The truth is, the group is more in the post punk, alternative rock genre, but they do have some definite progressive rock leanings at times. These guys are quite cool and unique and have produced an excellent CD here. This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008 Volume 3 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

Gloss When this starts off you may think you’ve landed in the intro to an old school Genesis song. As the vocals enter, though, they are more in a post punk approach. The two motifs are combined in a motif that’s one part vintage prog and one part alternative pop. The instrumental break on this reminds me a bit of the first couple Yes albums in a way.

Gaxinthaw A similar juxtapositioning of sounds occurs here. We get an intro – and several musical sections – that feel a lot like those first couple of Yes albums, but the song proper is more along the lines of a punky Jane’s Addiction.

Telebones This has an off-kilter and bouncy electro-pop approach and Jane’s Addiction like vocals. The second half of this piece definitely has more of that old-school Yes sound. This is an intriguing track and one of my favorites here.

Bomb The only real prog leanings on this punky track are the keyboards. Otherwise this is pretty much just a hard rocking, punk inspired number.

Korea Here we get a completely post punk cut.

St. Vincents With a musical approach that’s a bit like the bluesy acoustic stuff Led Zeppelin used to do, the distorted vocals bring it more along the lines of Jane’s Addiction.

The Loveless Fuzz This reminds me a lot of The Cure.

Amp Here we get another smoking post punk tune that’s got a lot of pop sensibilities. There is a bit of prog in the fast paced jamming, though. The instrumental break is especially proggy, too.

Dress This is more of a straightforward post punk rocker.

Perodafodil “Perodafodil” might be my favorite track here. It’s not really prog rock oriented at all, but rather seems like a killer combination of The Cure and Jane’s Addiction. This is just plain cool!

Parade This is bouncy and punk oriented with a definite pop sensibility.

Mammal This raw, stripped down grind feels a lot like Jane’s Addiction. It has punky, distorted screamed vocals.

Hindenburg Here we get a psychedelia meets Jane’s Addiction approach. This is an echoey and quite cool journey. It’s a great choice for closer, if a bit low in terms of energy. It makes up for it with style.

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